The Girl Who Lost Her Smile
by Xx-Synthetic-Cyanide-xX
Summary: COMPLETE! Rika Saito has transferred from her old college due to being bullied. Here she finds the Sohma family and is drawn to Kyo. Will he be the one to make her smile again or will he crush her heart? OCXkyo
1. Prologue

**The girl who lost her smile**

_**(Disclaimer I do not own Fruits Basket. **_

_**This little story is about a normal girl who is bullied for looking different. She changes colleges to go to the same one as the Sohma's, but after meeting them will she think differently? Or will her heart open up to them? Find out!**_

Prologue

She knew it would never happen, she knew that she would never be happy without him. As she stared at the clock on the wall of her bedroom it read the time of 9.00pm, by now he would be with Tohru and the thought crucified her. Why couldn't it be her? Tohru was not even pretty or anything yet he had chosen her. Rika Saito curled up on her bed, thinking about it all, about all the memories, about when she first met him, Kyo Sohma and his family. A sigh escaped her lips, all she wanted was him but she knew it was too late to alter that now. Her dark eyes closed as a single tear dribbled down her face. Her heart was breaking; she could not deal with it much longer. Kyo had no idea that she adored him and she wanted him. He was so oblivious like that. Rika decided to think back to the past, about all the memories they shared even if they were not significant to him. It all started back when she transferred to another college…

* * *

Rika stood in the principal's office, extremely nervous about being the new girl at college. At her old college she got bullied for being 'different'. People referred to her as an 'Emo-freak' and that she used to self-harm and things of a similar fashion. Due to the bullying she had to leave, it was affecting her deeply and was starting to affect her behaviour in general. She hoped that this college would be different and the people would be a lot nicer and friendlier. Rika did possess dark straight hair and wore a lot of dark makeup but she did not think that was a good enough reason for her to get bullied.

"Ah Rika Saito" Came a voice making her turn around swiftly. It was the Principal; he had just arrived in his office holding a cup of coffee, the smell intoxicating her entirely. Rika nodded politely, still shy about greeting new people. The principal sat down at his desk, placed the coffee down and looked directly at her. Her body language expressed the incessant torture she had received from her last college and it saddened him. As he adjusted his glasses on his nose he said;

"I am glad to see that you turned up to your first day, you seemed very nervous at the interview. I hope you feel better about being in this environment" She nodded weakly, keeping mute for now. Her eyes looking down at the carpet because she could not bring herself to look at him in case he too made judgement about her appearance.

"Now Rika I see you have applied to do a Media Diploma?" She nodded once more, fidgeting in her seat uneasily. The principal sighed and took a sip of his coffee. Once he placed the coffee down once more he responded;

"Well the class itself is mixed, the students in the class are sure to give you a warm welcome. I will ask a student from the class to assist you and show you around the college properly. Just wait a minute-" Rika now raised her dark eyes as she watched the principal pick up a telephone and start dialling. She swallowed hard, she did not want anyone to aid her, she could get by on her own like she always did. It was better that way.

As he placed the phone to his ear his eyes glanced across at the girl. She was still extremely nervous about her first day, it was apparent.

"Hello?" The principal started the conversation. "Yes, I am in my office with the new girl that is due to start your class? Yes, well could you please send over a student to accompany her? Yuki Sohma? Yes, that would do nicely, thank you" He put the phone down and the deafening silence returned. Rika gently started to tug at the hem of her pink and black tartan skirt. Yuki Sohma, she was sure he or she would bully her just as the others did and she swallowed hard once more. The principal kept his eyes glued to the girl and sighed. He comforted;

"Don't be worried, Yuki Sohma is the president of the College Council, do not worry. He will ensure you have a warm welcome" Rika tried to smile but it was evident that it was a struggle. How could she have faith in people her own age when it was they who bullied her? Who terrorised her about her appearance? Rika bit into her lip apprehensively as time lingered on, the smell of the coffee making her feel nauseous. This was awful; she wanted to go home now. She was too different to everyone, they would abhor her, hate her.

"Now Rika, here is your time table for the term" Rika outstretched her hand and took the piece of paper. Her eyes darted through the words that scarred the page. Tuesdays were free, she had no lessons. That was a relief, but the longest day was on a Thursday, 9am-4.30pm. Her heart sank, it was such a long day and the thought crucified her. Today was Monday, on Monday's it was 9am-12.30pm so it wasn't so bad. Carefully she folded it up and placed it inside her rucksack. A faint knocking noise alerted her senses and immediately she jumped up. She needed to control her nerves at some point during this term. The principal called out;

"Come in" as the door carefully swung open Rika perceived a tall young male in a shirt, tie and trousers stand before her. He possessed dark hair and eyes which was similar to her own style but only he was not in the same category as her. He was normal. His eyes turned and glanced at her for a moment. Those eyes, they were full of sincerity, not the same as those demonic beasts at her other college. Rika thought for a moment, maybe this boy wouldn't be horrible as she imagined.

The principal looked up at the boy known as Yuki Sohma over the top of his glasses. He waved his hand in the direction of Rika and announced;

"Yuki this is our new student; Rika Saito. I would be very grateful if you would accompany her around college and show her around. Make her feel comfortable though, she had a tough time at her old college" Rika mentally kicked herself, why did he have to speak of that? Yuki glanced across at Rika once more and suddenly she felt relaxed. He smiled and outstretched a pale hand.

"I am Yuki Sohma, pleased to meet you Ms. Saito" Rika's eyes sparkled; he addressed her as Ms. Saito? Not just Rika? He was definitely different and she could not help but smile. She outstretched her hand and they shook hands, for the first time she responded;

"Pleased to meet you too, Yuki" Rika pondered, why was he dressed so smart, almost business-like when the attire was casual? She had not made an effort, she had merely put on her favourite rock t-shirt and skirt with colourful tights and converse. She looked a mess in comparison. The principal chuckled quietly, he retorted;

"That is the first time Rika has spoken this morning Yuki, I guess you have made a breakthrough" Yuki chuckled also as they broke their handshake at last. Rika could not help but feel slightly content at this situation, this boy was not ominous or a threat. He was sincere and kind and maybe they could be friends. Yuki responded once more;

"Ms. Saito, shall we leave for our little tour? Afterwards I will take you to class" She nodded and stood up. She placed her rucksack on her back and smiled once more.

"Okay, no problem" Yuki kindly opened the door for her and motioned for her to go out first. Rika felt her cheeks burn, he was such a gentleman and she complied. Hastily she retreated to the corridor and Yuki followed soon after. Once the door closed the principal settled comfortably in his chair and mused;

"I hope Rika can come out of her shell, she will enjoy this experience a lot more if she could-"

* * *

(_**Review please, it would be appreciated. Thanks)**_


	2. Being the new girl

_**(Disclaimer I do not own Fruits Basket, even though I wish I did! Thank you to everyone who enjoys this fic, I worked hard on it so thank you all and please review!)**_

Chapter One: Being the new girl

As Rika walked down the corridor to the canteen she could not help but feel nervous. Yuki was so regal unlike herself. She was a rock chick, the complete opposite. Yuki however, did not make her feel uncomfortable. Every so often they would stop and Yuki would tell her about certain rooms and what classes used them. She would smile and feel content. Now they were near the canteen and it was 10am. Their break was at half ten so there was only half an hour to go.

"Ms. Saito would you like to take an early break?" Yuki asked, looking down on her small shy form. She smiled and nodded.

"If you don't mind-" Yuki smiled also. He was so radiant and amazing. This boy was the only one who had not enquired about her dress sense or anything; he merely assisted her just like the principal had told him to. It was a nice under thought for her. As they entered the canteen Rika felt self-conscious. She was different to the others and this made her feel uneasy as all eyes burned into her figure, some expressing hate and others expressing jealously. She swallowed hard and trudged up to the counter to see what food was on offer. Yuki followed, giving certain people cold glances. Her dark eyes glanced across the array of sandwiches; she was a fussy eater and only liked cheese. All these were not, these were chicken or salad or something similar and she detested them. Whilst deciding what to eat for her break Yuki came up behind her and muttered;

"If anyone gives you a hard time let me know" Rika's eyes widened, he wanted to help? Hastily she turned around, now completely ignoring the fact she was searching for a sandwich and replied;

"You mean, if anyone bullies me to tell you?" He nodded and his dark eyes gazed into hers. She smiled;

"Okay then, I will. Why would you think people would?" Yuki leaned his figure against the counter where cutlery was neatly piled on and muttered;

"I believe it may be due to how you're dressed, no-one here has ever seen a girl dressed so different" Rika kept her smile, at least Yuki referred to her as different and not weird or a freak. It was a different response but it was nothing that she hated, in fact it warmed her heart.

Turning around again her eyes inspected the sandwiches, she was hungry after being so nervous in the office and she needed some kind of nourishment. After some time searching the lady behind the counter asked politely;

"Excuse me dear, are you looking for anything in particular?" Rika jumped suddenly, she did not expect anyone to talk to her whilst in her search. Shyly tucking a piece of her black hair behind her ear she muttered;

"Yes, I was. I was looking for a plain cheese sandwich" The lady smiled and replied;

"No problem dear, I will make one right away" with that the lady left to make the item Rika required. She smiled, so far so good. Everyone was a lot nicer here than in her old college and things were looking brighter. While she waited she stood next to Yuki, at least she knew who he was. His body was relaxed against the counter as he also scanned through the sandwiches. He could not quite make up his mind to which one he wanted.

"Hey, Yuki" Rika asked, making him turn to face her.

"What is it Ms. Saito?"

"Why are you dressed in a shirt and tie when everyone else is not?" She asked curiously, her large dark eyes gazing into his. His face softened as he looked at her. It was as if she wanted to know not to make fun of him but out of curiosity. He smiled and replied;

"It is because I am president of the college council, if I am called to a meeting I need to be dressed like this. It makes me stand out from the rest" Rika nodded, it was a fair point to make, Yuki did stand out from a crowd. Yuki was also regal in appearance, the way his dark hair clung around his face, those dark mysterious eyes; all of it was strangely beautiful. Rika now had noticed most of the females in the canteen were staring at him, eyes wide and mouths slightly ajar. He must have been a big hit with the girl's here it seemed but now she started to get tense. Would they assume things, like her and him being together? That would only result in more bullying.

To snap her out of her trance the lady behind the counter appeared once more and handed the fresh sandwich to Rika. Rika smiled and said;

"Thank you so much"

"It's not problem at all, are you the new girl?" The lady replied, looking curiously at Rika. She nodded shyly. The lady smiled and beamed;

"In that case the sandwich is free for today, enjoy your first day dear" Rika blinked, it was free? Wow, what a result. Rika smiled and slowly moved away from the counter back to Yuki. He was now standing up tall and not leaning on the counter. He pointed to a door at the back of the canteen.

"Want to go in there? Not many students go in there to eat at breaks" She nodded and walked behind him obediently.

* * *

Whilst she walked past tables full of students all their eyes were focused on them both, mostly on Yuki's majestic figure. Rika swallowed hard; if she hung around with Yuki would this make her life more difficult? She decided to try to ignore the evil stares from the demonic creatures that inhabited the canteen and focused on the matter at hand. She followed Yuki to the door and he pushed it open. She perceived a large purple sofa in the corner on the room with a table and dotted around the room were various tables and chairs. There was also a TV in the room situated high above. She watched as Yuki settled himself down on the purple sofa. His eyes glanced at her and he gently patted the space next to himself motioning her to sit beside him. She complied and found herself walking over to the spot and sitting down comfortably. She placed her sandwich on the table as she removed her rucksack.

"Ms. Saito?" Yuki muttered, making her pause in her actions.

"Yes Yuki?"

"Can I ask what was the main reason why you wanted to come here?" he asked, his eyes never leaving her face. Rika thought, could she actually confess the reasons for her leaving her old college? She swallowed hard as she finished her action and picked up her sandwich. Whilst opening the packaging she replied;

"Well it was mainly due to bullying and stuff but the course itself was not up to standard. I needed a change-" Yuki nodded and then looked away. Maybe that response was not the one he wanted? Rika pulled out one of the sandwiches and began to eat. Eating would get rid of the uneasy feeling inside her heart; she did not know why it had occurred just recently. It was as if she knew that something would occur and the chances of it being favourable were nil.

Yuki sighed and bent his figure over. His elbows were resting on his knees as his head was drooped forwards. Something was bothering him and Rika could sense it. She did not have the confidence yet to confront him about it and so continued to eat. He glanced at his watch, it was now 10:20am, it would soon be time that his class would depart for break and they would all flood in here and pester Rika. The thought terrorised him. He combed his fingers through his dark hair as he thought.

"Yuki-" Rika finally managed to ask, pausing in eating her sandwich. He raised his eyes to her and responded;

"Yes, Ms. Saito?"

"Are you okay? You seem a bit upset about something" Rika's eyes kept their gaze fixed to the mystery that was Yuki. He merely shrugged off her question and looked away. The problem was deep down inside, he knew that soon his cousin's would flood in here and cause havoc and that would probably upset Rika and he did not want that. He promised the principal he would look out for her and he was determined to do that. Rika took the silence from Yuki as a no comment and so continued to eat, maybe she should have kept mute about it, and after all it was of no concern to her.

After a while she had finished her sandwich, it was very kind of the lady to have gone to the trouble to make one for her and it made Rika smile. She placed the wrapper on the table and looked across at Yuki. He had been quiet ever since she had asked him what was wrong and he had not even bothered to make eye contact with her. She felt confused; she had no idea why he was acting so bizarre.

"Yuki-" she mumbled again, feeling more and more like an idiot. He mumbled;

"I am fine" Of course he was being dishonest, there was obviously something wrong with him. Before he was so kind and sincere and now he had gone all bitter on her and there was a reason for that. Rika sighed, she hated it when people acted like that, and she thought it was extremely selfish to not confess what troubled you.

"Yuki, don't lie I know something is wrong. Why can't you just tell me-"

"You will see the reason in a minute" he returned at her, his face covered by his hair. Rika did not understand his concept, she would see the reason? Her ears picked up the faint noise of laughing and talking and it seemed to be coming in her direction.

Nervously she clammed up; if people were coming in here it would make her feel extremely uneasy. Her heart thundered inside as she heard the voices get louder and louder. Three figures appeared in the doorway and started to walk inside the room Rika was in. The figures were all unusual, one possessed orange hair, one possessed black and white hair and the other was a small blond haired boy. They were all boys and they all started their walk towards Yuki and Rika. She swallowed hard as she saw them all looking her, confusion scarred their faces. She knew they would interrogate her, it was for certain.

"Hey Yuki, how come you left class so early?" The boy with black and white hair spoke. He was extremely handsome and had such a bad boy look about him which made Rika begin to blush furiously. She tried to hide it; it was silly of her to blush at someone she had not even spoken to.

"I went to show Ms. Saito around" Yuki answered, his head and eyes now focused on the three figures in front of him. Here they were, his cousins.

The boy with white and black hair turned to look at Rika who was trying not to make eye contact. She was incredibly shy about this whole situation. The blond haired boy was next to talk;

"Does this mean I have a new friend?" Rika now turned to face them; her eyes scanned the blond haired boy. He was so cute, but he did not look old enough to be in college. His large brown eyes stared at her, blinking curiously at the newcomer. She managed a small smile and in turn the boy smiled. He asked innocently;

"Can I be your friend?"

"If you want to" Rika answered, feeling obliged to say yes. This was such a charming and innocent boy and instantly he ran over to where she sat and lunged at her, making her fall onto the sofa.

"Cut it out Momiji! Stop acting like a stupid child!" The orange haired boy growled angrily. This made the boy known as Momiji stop and stare at the orange top. He began to snivel and whined;

"Waaaaah Yuki, Kyo's picking on me!" This was all too much for Rika to comprehend; these friends of Yuki's were extremely odd and unusual. Rika however felt comfortable with these boys and she smiled. Slowly she hoisted herself and Momiji up so they were sitting up once more. Momiji still sniffled as tears started to form in his eyes. Yuki sighed, placing a hand to his forehead;

"This was the reason why I was quiet. I did not want you to meet my cousins" Rika blinked, they were all related? It seemed impossible; none of them bared any resemblance. The orange haired boy cursed;

"Hey! Don't start thinking your high and mighty you stupid rat. I hate being related to you too yanno!" Rika's eyes now diverted their gaze to the orange haired boy. He had a very violent and angry demeanour but for some reason she liked that. He was strong willed and made a stand for what he believed in, she admired that. His amber eyes softened their gaze as they glanced across at her. She was sure she perceived a faint blush on his cheeks but maybe she was imagining it. The black and white haired boy looked directly at Rika and announced;

"I guess we should introduce ourselves, I am Haru, this is Kyo and the one who is all over you is Momiji. What is your name?"

"Rika-" she mumbled shyly. Momiji had now calmed down and had settled beside her and Yuki. This was a turn of events, she would never of expected anyone to warm to her as much as these boys did. Maybe college life wouldn't be so bad after all.

Haru and Kyo decided to sit down also and so settled their figures into the sofa's embrace. This was intense for Rika, surrounded by charming looking boys. She felt like a pimp. Yuki sighed and mumbled;

"So Kyo did you actually do the work I told you to for the quiz?" Kyo put his hands behind his head as he rested comfortably on the sofa. He said;

"Of course, who do you take me for? I am not like that stupid rabbit over there" Momiji pouted at being mentioned. Rika started to giggle; she could not help it anymore.

"What's so funny?" Kyo asked, almost growling at her.

"You're all so funny, I could not help it" she replied, now laughing harder than previously. She had a good feeling about college now; these amiable beings were going to change her outlook on humans. Yuki, Kyo, Haru and Momiji had no idea on how important they would be in her sorrowful life.

* * *

_**(More to come, please review and thank you! Do you think Rika's life will alter now? Do you think she will get bullied again?)**_


	3. The Project: Music Quiz!

_**(Disclaimer I do not own Fruits Basket. So now it is time for the college project! What will Rika think about working with Kyo? Will things be awkward? Please review!)**_

Chapter Two: The new project: Music Quiz!

Rika remembered the first time she went to class, accompanied by the four guys. She felt as if all students' eyes were burning into the back of her head as she settled down in a seat next to Kyo.

"I am guessing you are Rika Saito?" the tutor asked politely. She nodded and placed her rucksack on the floor. The room was not actually full of a lot of people, there were only thirteen people in the room, her and the four boys making it up to five and the others were not important. Kyo gave her a look before looking away again. He did not say anything however, he remained mute and concentrated on what the tutor was about to say.

"Right everyone; considering Rika is new to the class I will explain our assignment once more. The assignment involves the making of a quiz show. We have decided on a music quiz show, everyone has their individual roles to play and everyone is equally important. Now Rika, considering your new the only part we can assign for you is to help Kyo with the operating the big screen-" Rika turned to face the orange haired boy. He seemed shy for some reason and faced away from her immediately. Rika's heart sank, maybe he did not want to work with her, and maybe he detested her as much as everyone else did back at her old college?

"Rika could help me with the directing-" Yuki interrupted, making the tutor turn around hastily. Yuki gave Rika a warm smile to indicate his intentions were good. She could not help but smile also. The tutor adjusted his glasses as he contemplated the thought;

"Well, she could do both I guess. Kyo does need help with operating the screen so Rika will aid him in doing that and I will allow her to help you also" Yuki nodded respectfully. The whole idea of helping to direct the whole show delighted her; she was going to be important for once.

Momiji waved his hand in the air madly trying to get the tutors attention. Eventually he succeeded and he whined;

"Have I still got to be the one who does the scoreboard?" The tutor nodded and Momiji pouted like a child. His mannerisms were extremely childish in comparison with the others in the class.

"But how come Kayuri gets to be host?" he whined once more, almost flailing about in his chair. The grey-haired tutor sighed;

"Because she is more reliable" The girl that was known as Kayuri bobbed out her tongue at the blond haired boy and he started to sulk even more. Momiji always wanted to be important. Haru was lazily spinning around on his chair, not really paying attention to what the tutor was saying. He had already gone through this and did not feel a need to listen to it again.

"Okay, maybe I should have a re-run on the jobs on the quiz show? Okay directors are Yuki Sohma and Kakeru Manabe. Operator of the scoreboard is Momiji Sohma, the host is Kayuri Hanabishi, and the operators of the big screen are Kyo Sohma and Rika Saito. Machi Kuragi, Kimi Toudou and Nao Sakuragi will operate the cameras and also sound. Haru Sohma is the floor manager. The rest of you will help where it is needed. Does that clarify everything?" Everyone nodded and the tutor breathed a sigh of relief. Wow, this was some quiz show; they only had four weeks to get everything sorted and ready to film to perfection. Yuki raised his hand and the tutor nodded so he could speak;

"Shall I continue with finding the questions with Kakeru?"

"Yes, Rika and Kyo come with me for a second-" the tutor asked, walking out of the door to the room next door. Rika stood up with Kyo and they both steadily followed. For some reason Rika felt uneasy with being around the orange haired boy, his demeanour was extremely different to Yuki's and she worried that he would actually say something that would hurt her feelings but she tried to push it to the back of her mind for now. After all, she could not judge him already, they had only just met.

* * *

As they entered the room they perceived a large green screen at the back of the room and by the door were various electrical equipment and computer screens. It was where all the logistics were carried out and were all technical aspects of projects were perfected. Rika looked around in awe, one day she believed she would be allowed to use the equipment for her own personal project. The tutor introduced a new face to them;

"Now this is Jon, he is our Media technician and he will assist you with making the connections with the big screen so it will not be so hard for you both. He knows everything to do with computers and what he does not know isn't worth knowing" Kyo rolled his amber eyes, he had heard this all too many times. Rika however smiled, it was amazing that someone knew that much about computers, he was like a genius.

"So why are we here then?" Kyo grumbled uneasily. The tutor looked at him and pointed to a computer at the back of the room, just before the green screen.

"I want you and Rika to work on making the visual elements for the show, for example title screens for the different rounds. Yuki and Kakeru have already decided on the rounds so get the sheet off them and do that for now" Rika nodded as Kyo sighed. This was not what he had in mind. The tutor left the room for a mere moment only to return with the sheet that explained all the work that needed doing, all the title screens and what music needed to be added. The tutor handed the paper to Kyo and then said;

"I can trust you two in here alone; Jon and I are going to keep an eye on the others. If you need us just give us a shout-" As soon as he said that Jon waved a small 'good-bye' and then they both left the room and closed the door behind them.

They were alone, together with no-one else and Kyo's eyes refused to leave the page. His hands were trembling either with nerves or anger; she could not decipher which one it was yet.

"That damn rat always gets to do important jobs and boss everyone around. He thinks he frikkin' owns the place!" Kyo cursed as he started to crumple the paper in his hands in anger.

"Well we have an important job too, we have to make sure the visuals are done and are in working order-" Rika added in, trying to make Kyo feel a little better about being stuck with her. Kyo glanced across at her for a moment and when she smiled at him he turned away again. He walked over to the computer and settled into one of the chairs. Rika followed and did the same. This was awkward, it seemed that Kyo did not like being in her company. This time however she was not shy enough to hold back her complaint and so asked;

"Kyo, do you have a problem with me?" He turned around, finally looking into her eyes. He replied;

"What makes you ask that?"

"You just seem off with me. Do you not like me or something? Is it because I dress differently?" Kyo's amber eyes widened, it was odd that someone had actually asked him if he had a problem with them, most of the time it was obvious. He shook his head;

"No I don't have a problem with you Rika, I have a problem with that damn rat that's all-" He turned back to the screen and turned on the computer, they needed to get this work done and soon. Rika seemed confused; she did not comprehend what he had just told her;

"Why do you refer to him as a rat?" He paused in his actions, crap, Rika did not know about the curse they had before it was broken but he needed to think of something fast. Something that was plausible. He scratched his head as he explained;

"When we were younger, we used to play this game were we would pretend to be animals, he was a rat, I was a cat, Momiji was a rabbit and Haru was a cow and whenever we got mad at each other we used to shout the animals names. Guess it kinda stuck-" Rika could not help but start to giggle; the tale was so cute that he told her. The thought of all of them being little children delighted her and she continued to giggle. Kyo smiled; at least she believed the story even if it was somewhat farfetched. The computer had still not turned on after five minutes and Kyo was starting to get annoyed. He continued to press the on button repeatedly as he cursed;

"Frikkin' machine! Why won't it work?"

"Give it some time-" Rika said peacefully, still smiling. Even though Kyo's demeanour was nothing like Yuki's it was still radiant and charming and he made her smile. That was the most important thing.

* * *

Back in the classroom Yuki and Kakeru were talking amongst themselves while Yuki continued to look for the last questions for the last round on the internet.

"So Yuki, do you see Tohru a lot?"

"Yeah, I see her when we leave college. She does not live that far away and she sees us when she has finished work" Yuki replied, his eyes glued to the screen. Kakeru spun lazily in his chair as he pursued;

"You reckon you and Rika will be as close as you and Tohru are?" Yuki paused and thought. He had no idea. He had not really got to know Rika that much even though he took her on a tour of the college. He shrugged;

"Ms. Saito is a lovely girl yet she is misunderstood, she got bullied in her last college for looking different. She is very different to Ms. Honda. I know that Ms. Saito could defend herself if she needed to and she is far from naïve, her demeanour is different to Ms. Honda's so I cannot answer that question" Kakeru pursed his lips together as his eyes scanned the ceiling. He still continued to spin on his chair, not really helping Yuki with what needed doing.

"Well if you ask me Rika has more of a personality than Tohru, I mean so what she dresses weird but at least she isn't afraid to stand out from a crowd. I admire that-"

"I think you would admire anyone who wore a short skirt Kakeru-" Yuki added in, as he continued in his search. He laughed and patted Yuki on the shoulder.

"Your funny you know Yuki" Yuki smiled; even though Kakeru was sometimes tough to work with he could always make Yuki smile no matter what. A few clicks and Yuki had found one of the questions. He hastily wrote down the question and answer in his notebook as Kakeru still remained lazy and did nothing.

"I bet Kyo will like her-" He mumbled, as his eyes focused towards the door.

"Why do you say that?" Yuki asked, still concentrating. Kakeru chuckled;

"Come on, at least she will stick up for herself if he tries to upset her. I think their personalities gel well together. Although, if Kyo does not make the effort then I am afraid to say that I will-" Yuki sighed and placed his pen down on the table. He was getting annoyed at the subject that they were conversing about and he grumbled;

"Kakeru, sort of your hormones for once and instead of gossiping about Ms. Saito could you help me for once?" He chuckled and moved his seat beside Yuki and decided to keep his thoughts and opinions to himself for now.

* * *

Back in the green room, Kyo and Rika were still waiting for the computer to actually turn on. It was beginning to anger Kyo intensely. All this time her dark eyes scanned his countenance, even though his hair was orange his actual appearance was incredibly striking and it somewhat appealed to her. She swallowed hard and hoped that he did not detect her looking at him. If he did that would make things uncomfortable. Kyo now decided to give up and lay back in his chair;

"I give up-" he grumbled, refusing to attempt anymore.

"We will wait till Jon returns and tell him about it" Rika added in. Kyo's amber eyes glanced across at her for a moment then flickered away. In his eyes he portrayed sadness, maybe he was troubled. Rika knew this; she was incredibly skilled at detecting if anyone had issues or anything on their mind. She asked;

"Kyo, you okay? You seem a bit troubled" He shook his head;

"Nah, I am fine. I just hate the fact that tonight I have got to go back to that damn rat's house. I don't wanna hear him gloating about you and stuff at college. It really pisses me off" Rika thought for a moment, was Kyo jealous? He did not seem the typical type to be jealous over someone who looked more feminine than she did. Supportively she responded;

"Kyo don't let it get to you, at the end of the day you're just as important as he is. Never forget that-" Kyo chuckled quietly for a moment as his eyes darted across the odd patterns in the ceiling.

"That is something that Tohru would say-" Rika blinked curiously.

"Who is Tohru?" She heard Kyo sigh at mentioning this person and it was obvious that this person was important to him. He mumbled;

"She is the one I have loved ever since I met her but have never had the courage to tell her-"

The room suddenly seemed to get very cold as he said those words to her. Kyo loved someone? It made her think of what it felt like to love another, to have her heart flutter majestically like a bird within her chest. That had never occurred to her in her existence so she did not really understand his predicament. She smiled and gently rubbed his shoulder;

"Then you should tell her Kyo-"

"I can't-" He whined, his eyes now focusing at her completely. "She is too naïve for that. If I said that it would freak her out-" Rika shook her head, she was trying to be supportive in any way possible. Kyo, after all seemed a genuine guy and so she saw no reason to why this Tohru girl who object to his affections.

"Kyo, tell her. It's not like your ugly or a horrible person. Your really genuine and you should go for it. What have you got to lose?" A silence commenced for a while until the realisation sunk in. He nodded and replied;

"Okay, maybe I will-" Rika however was not aware of the fact she had made the biggest mistake of her life and that she would rue her decision to encourage him to confess. It was all going to end in tears.

* * *

_**(Thank you all for reading, the plot will get more intense as the story progresses. Please review and give me your thoughts. Much appreciated)**_


	4. A Journey To Remember

_**(Disclaimer I do not own Fruits Basket. What antics do you think will unfold as Rika gets accustomed to college life? Will she end up liking Kyo a lot more than she planned? Review please)**_

Chapter Three: A journey to remember

Rika remembered her first day when it was time to go home, the day had surprisingly gone well and she had connected well with both Yuki and Kyo. The others she had not spoken too much but they seemed just as nice. As she trundled down the road, holding the straps on her backpack she heard a voice;

"Rika wait up!" As she turned her head she saw another guy from her class running down the road after her, it was Kakeru. Rika paused and waited for him to catch up. Why he was running she had no idea. When he was close she mumbled;

"What is it?" He panted, that run took its toll on him. He paused while catching his breath then eventually replied;

"Our tutor told me that you live nearby my house-"

"I do?" She muttered, slightly confused. Since when did the tutor hand out information regarding where students live? He nodded and continued;

"Well, considering we live close by want to walk with me?" She thought. She hardly knew this boy yet wasn't he a friend of Yuki's? Rika scratched the back of her head in thought, she was not entirely sure if this was a good idea, nevertheless she felt obliged to say yes and so nodded;

"Okay then-" Kakeru smiled, obviously happy at her answer and they both started their walk down the hill to the bus-stop. The college was in fact in the middle of a nature reserve so to get there everyone needed to catch a bus and that was where they were headed. As both Kakeru and Rika walked towards their destination Kakeru tried to break the uncomfortable silence;

"So Rika, are you and Kyo getting along fine?" Rika smiled and nodded;

"Yes of course, why do you ask?" Kakeru put his hands in his pockets as he conversed;

"Just wondered, Kyo is a wild one after all. I was just making sure he was not giving you grief, after all you're the new girl-" Rika mentally kicked herself, the fact she was new did not give anyone the right to treat her like an invalid. She swallowed hard to fight the complaint that was about to escape from her lips. She continued to listen to Kakeru;

"-but do not worry. I have assured Yuki that when he is not around that I will look out for you. That is, if you don't mind" Rika kept her eyes focused ahead of her, where were the others? Had they already left? She wanted to get away from him; he was beginning to be a nuisance. She replied;

"I really don't need people looking out for me, I am perfectly capable of looking after myself but thanks for the offer anyway-" That went better than she had planned, if she had told him exactly what was raging within her brain it would have probably offended him.

As they walked around the corner the bus-stop came into view and a large crowd of people surrounded it. They were people from others classes, not from her class. Rika gently brushed aside her dark hair that had accidentally fallen onto her face. Both Rika and Kakeru stopped when they got to the bus-stop and they waited. Others were gossiping and bickering amongst themselves or playing loud music. It was music that Rika hated.

"So-" Kakeru muttered, destroying the sickening silence. "Do you have a boyfriend?"

"I don't think that concerns you does it?" She replied, colder than planned and Kakeru's eyes widened in shock. Did he just get rejected? He tried again;

"I am only making small talk, I think it would be good if we got to know each other better-" Rika's dark eyes scanned up and down the road to search for signs of the bus and when she found none they returned their gaze to his and she replied;

"Yes, but you really do not need to know information such as that. I would rather not talk about it-" Kakeru nodded, seemingly to understand.

"No problem-" Rika sighed, this boy was so relentless, why did she agree to go home with him? Oh yeah, because he lived nearby and she actually did not want to walk home alone. She cursed inside; her selfishness could now reduce her to become insane if she stayed with him. From a far she could hear whining and shouting and immediately she recognised those voices, it was Kyo and the others and she actually felt happy that they were almost there.

* * *

When she saw their figures emerge from around the corner Rika hastily walked towards them just to escape Kakeru's clutches for now. Yuki was also with them, his dark eyes shifted to the image of Kakeru who gave him a thumb up sign. Yuki sighed; no wonder Rika looked so troubled.

"Hey Rika, we had no idea that you live this way too-" Haru said, his eyes also gazing across to Kakeru.

"Yeah, I have to catch two buses though-" she replied, standing in the vicinity of her companions, at least Kakeru had not followed.

"Does that mean you're coming home with us?" Momiji beamed happily, looking at Rika with large brown eyes. How could she resist? She mumbled shyly;

"I do not know-"

"If you want to visit our home then you may Ms. Saito. I know it would please Momiji if you did-" Yuki interrupted, seeing Momiji's eyes sparkled with happiness. Rika smiled; at least she did not have to share the daunting journey home with Kakeru. Kyo had remained mute after their conversation about Tohru, it seemed that it had really affected him and maybe he had considered telling her his feelings.

"Okay then" She answered; Momiji squealed with happiness and hugged her tightly. It was odd that this boy acted so much younger than he actually was. Yuki kept his eyes firmly on Kakeru who was transfixed on Rika; it seemed that he could be slightly infatuated with her even though they had only met today.

Once Momiji let go of Rika her dark eyes shifted to Kyo and she asked;

"Kyo, you're awfully quiet. Is everything ok?" He snapped out of his trance quickly and gazed at Rika for a moment before responding;

"Yeah, yeah everything is okay. I was just daydreaming-"

"As per usual-" Yuki added in, sarcastically, instantly angering the orange haired boy. He clenched his fist and growled;

"You got a problem with me? Damn rat!"

"As a matter of fact, yes I do have a problem with you, you stupid cat-" Yuki replied, his voice being monotone and uninteresting. Kyo growled once more;

"Then fight me you damn rat!"

"You know that I would beat you, you stupid cat, so just give up-" Yuki retorted back. Rika swallowed hard; considering they were cousins they certainly were not close. In fact it seemed like they hated each other. As they continued in their verbal abuse Haru sighed and placed a hand to his forehead. He hated being embarrassed like this; the whole crowd at the bus-stop had now diverted their attention to the verbal abuse scene and were watching eagerly. It was some entertainment.

"It's always the same with these two-" Haru mumbled to Rika. She could not help but watch the argument unfold further. She had no idea what they were meant to be arguing about.

"So, they fight like this all the time?"

"Sadly, yes" Haru answered. Momiji remained near to Rika, not getting involved in the dispute. It was bad enough without outside help.

* * *

The faint noise of the bus approaching alerted the large crowd of people and they all started to trudge to the entrance of the bus shelter, all eager to get on first. Kyo and Yuki had not noticed the fact the bus was almost here. Haru announced;

"Will you two girls stop your bitching? The bus is here now-" They both stopped and gave Haru a cursed look, Haru could of used a more tactful approach but it was too late now. Rika smiled as she too began to move with the crowd to board the bus that had now pulled in. Kakeru was just in front of her and he kept glancing behind at her. She starting to feel uneasy with him being around, he was so creepy and she detested it. Momiji stood beside Rika, gently holding onto her arm much in the same way as a small child. Haru was next then was followed by Kyo and Yuki. Rika pulled out her bus pass from her rucksack and flashed it to the driver. As she boarded she saw most of the seats were full and she did not want to sit next to Kakeru at all costs.

"Get out of my way you damn rat!" She heard Kyo rant behind her. She smiled but then focused on finding a suitable seat. She managed to find one right at the front and sat in solitude. She watched Momiji sit just behind her next to an old lady, Haru sat next to another young boy further back and Yuki decided to sit next to Kakeru, who was a few seats away. Kyo was last to come on and instinctively sat next to Rika. She felt content; at least she was sitting next to someone she knew. The bus groaned and whirred and then began to move slowly onwards to their destination. It would be some time before they reached the other bus station and so Rika decided it would be beneficial to enjoy the journey.

She placed her rucksack on the ground beside her feet and rummaged for her phone, it was her most important possession; it provided her with music to drown out the incessant groaning and moaning from the passengers. Kyo relaxed in the chair as she continued to search.

"Thanks-" Kyo mumbled, just loud enough for Rika to hear. She stopped at looked at him.

"Thanks for what?" He smiled as he answered;

"You said that I am good enough for Tohru. That really helped me yanno. I owe you one Rika-" He gently patted her leg for a moment and instantly she started to blush. Turning her head to her rucksack, while searching she tried to hide the fact she was blushing. She did not know why. No-one had ever been so kind to her, shown her how important she was. It was all new to her. There, she had found the phone and she withdrew it from the safety of her bag. She needed to drown out all her thoughts and the noise that shrouded the bus. Hastily she placed in her headphones and scanned through her phone for what she wanted to listen to, it would be better if she ignored him for now.

* * *

Meanwhile a few seats away Kakeru and Yuki were sitting together and Kakeru's eyes remained glued to Rika's dark hair. Yuki's sighed, he had obviously noticed too. As the bus continued its journey all Kakeru spoke of was Rika and it was starting to annoy Yuki.

"You know Yuki she did not tell me if she had a boyfriend. I reckon she likes me and does not want to admit it-"

"And I reckon you're deluded-" Yuki added in, resting his arms on the railing and his head on his arms. Now he wished he never decided to sit next to Kakeru. Kakeru poked Yuki to get his attention and whined;

"Hey you're meant to be supportive here man, you're not meant to say I am wrong" Yuki sighed once more, why was Kakeru so relentless?

"Look, Ms. Saito would never go for anyone like you. You're too weird and creepy-" Yuki replied. He knew that Kakeru would not take too kindly to what he had told him. He started to pout childishly and retorted;

"Oh Yuki, why are you so mean to me? I am your best friend after all and you shoot me down in flames! Why, oh why?" Yuki refused to reply to Kakeru's whine and remained silent. His eyes glanced across at Rika and Kyo, they were talking comfortably and every so often Rika would laugh and gently hit his arm. Were they flirting? Yuki shook his head, it was not possible. Kyo had already told Yuki that he liked Tohru and that was the girl he wanted so why all of sudden was he becoming friendly with Rika?

"Hello? Earth to Yuki" Kakeru tried again, poking his companion to snap him out of his gaze.

"What is it now Kakeru?" He answered, not really interested.

"So what do you think I could do to win Rika over? Shall I woo her with my charm? With my good looks?"

"Like you have any of that, get into the real world here-" Yuki answered, feeling that he had offended Kakeru once more. It was not that much of bother to him, what was a bother was how Kyo was acting around Rika. Did he lie to him about liking Tohru so he would back off?

* * *

Rika laughed once more as Kyo told her the times he went off training with his master. She found the tall tale about him fighting bears the funniest; the image of him wrestling a bear made her insides hurt with laughter.

"It is not meant to be funny yanno-" he added in, smiling none the less. Rika shook her head and tried to hold back the laughter. She had her music on as low as possible so she could hear the conversation clearly.

"I can't help it" She replied. The bus was still nowhere near to its final destination so that meant they had more time in solitude to converse. Kyo looked away and paused for a moment, as if he was deciding what to say next. Eventually he muttered;

"So Rika, what do you do in your spare time?" She blinked curiously at the orange top. His amber eyes fixed into her eyes and she answered;

"Well, I like just to relax in my room and listen to my music. I also like a write stories and to draw as well. It helped a lot when I got bullied at my old college-"

"You got bullied?" Kyo almost shouted at the top of his voice making her blush even more. She whispered;

"Keep your voice down! Yes, I did. It got so bad I even did this-" Slowly she slid up the sleeves of her t-shirt to Kyo only to reveal deep scars. She had self-harmed. Kyo's eyes twitched in horror and anger. He grabbed her wrist and stared intently at the evil symbolism that marked her flawless skin. She felt her cheeks begin to burn again as she felt his warm fingers gently caress the marks.

"Man, what sick bastards! How could anyone make some-one want to do this?" Rika felt guilty, she felt as if it was her own fault for allowing the bullies to succeed.

"I am sorry-" She muttered, feeling sorry for her being. Kyo shook his head and kept his hold on her wrist.

"It's not you who needs to apologise, it's those bastards. If I ever see them I swear I will kill them for doing this to you!" Rika could not help but smile, her heart was aching but she did not know whether it was from sadness or something more.

* * *

Kakeru was seething in his chair beside Yuki. He pointed angrily at Kyo, who was holding her wrist and making her blush. He cursed;

"How in the hell can he make her blush when I can't? It's just not fair!"

"You need a reality check-" Yuki added in. He was now reading one of his books from his rucksack to block out Kakeru's annoying voice. It was working up until now. Kakeru whined;

"Yuki it is so not fair, it should be me who gets to comfort her, who gets to hold her when she is upset and stuff-"

"You cannot make Ms. Saito like you Kakeru, it isn't possible. Deal with it-" Yuki said coldly, wishing that Kakeru would go mute again so he could continue to read the book. Surprisingly it was interesting, Machi had leant it to him and recommended it and he could see why. Kakeru sighed and lay back in his seat, looking out the window at the array of houses that were passing by.

* * *

Rika tried, she tried to hold back the sadness within but she could not. She felt tears begin to form in the corners of her eyes and her chest started to tighten. The realisation of the self-harming had hit her and now she could not help but cry. One by one, small tears trickled down her cheeks causing her dark makeup to run and create tracks down her cheeks. Kyo noticed and let go of her wrist;

"I am sorry Rika, did I make you cry?"

"No-" she muttered, wiping her face furiously to get rid of the dark smears around her eyes.

"-It is just no-one has ever known about my self-harming before. I don't know why I showed you. I am sorry, I should never of done it-" As if it were instinct Kyo wrapped his arms around her and held her tightly as she cried. It was too much for her, she could not help it. She needed comfort and he provided the best comfort she could possibly have. She could feel his heartbeat thunder within his chest much in the same way as her own; maybe he was feeling her pain too. She held onto his t-shirt as tears dribbled down her cheeks.

"Hey, it's okay to cry. You can't be strong all the time Rika-" he mumbled as he gently stroked her back. Rika nodded against his shoulder, this moment was somewhat perfect. Being held like this was bliss even though she did not know why her heart liked it. It was as if it was meant to be, that he was meant to hold her like this. She knew it was not possible, she knew he loved another but for now just maybe she could enjoy this embrace and with that snuggled deeper into his shirt, enjoying the sweet rapture that followed.

* * *

_**(Awwww I love Rika and Kyo, they are so damn cute together! Btw the college used in this fic is the college I actually go to so it is easier to describe. Thanks for reading and reviews are welcome. Thank you)**_


	5. I'll Look After You

**(Disclaimer I do not own Fruits Basket. Man, how annoying can Kakeru be? If I was Rika I would be going mental. Please review!)**

Chapter Four: I'll look after you

Rika remembered finally getting off the bus after being consoled by none other than Kyo himself and saying goodbye to Kakeru. She felt obliged to even though it crucified her. He was so creepy it was unreal. As she walked with the four guys through the bus station she instinctively kept close to Kyo, it was as if he was the one she was closest to. He had after all consoled her and had embraced her when she was upset. No-one had ever done that to her, everyone hated her back then, abhorred her, and hated her. But not him, he seemed to sympathise with her and understood her problems, it was as if he was just as troubled as she was.

"Can we go to the sweet shop before we go home?" Momiji asked Yuki, his large brown eyes innocently staring up at Yuki's majestic figure.

"Okay then-" He said, smiling a little. Momiji beamed happily and rushed ahead of the group. He was so eager and hyper at times and it made Rika smile. Being in the company of these amiable beings really made her think about life, about how depressed she used to be, about when she self-harmed. If she remained with these guys she would never feel the need to hurt herself and she would never feel depressed again. It delighted her. As Haru and Yuki quickened their pace to catch up with Momiji it left just Rika and Kyo walking at a slower pace behind.

"You feeling better now Rika?" Kyo asked, looking into her dark eyes as they weaved through the mass of people in the bus station.

"Yes, thank you. I am happy that you did not think I was a coward or anything because I self-harmed-" Kyo rolled his eyes; it was as if she had said something completely stupid. He shook his head;

"No, why on Earth would I say that? It is a serious matter yanno so of course I am gonna help you" She smiled. The images of Yuki and Haru were slowly disappearing as they crossed the road and followed Momiji into a shop, the sweet shop. Rika and Kyo followed. As she started to daydream once more the images from her past haunted her.

* * *

'_Oh look it's the Emo freak again' Came a voice from inside the classroom, Rika sat on her own trying to block out all the vile words that escaped their lips._

'_I bet that freak self-harms'_

'_Yeah, just look at her, god I if was her mom I would be so ashamed' Rika closed her eyes upon hearing those words, they tortured her immensely, brining up memories about her mom was uncalled for. She did not have the energy to retaliate, she was weak and vulnerable. Something was thrown off the back of her head;_

"_Take that Emo scum-" she gently rubbed the back of her head, this was getting beyond a joke, and she needed to get out of here. It was too much. As she grabbed her backpack and hastily darted through the classroom as everyone burst into laughter. They were evil foreboding creatures from the pit of hell itself. As she left and escaped into the hallway Rika slid down the wall holding her backpack, tears dribbling down her cheeks. Her heart was braking; she could not take it anymore._

* * *

Whilst in her trance she did not perceive a tall dark stranger head towards her. The person crashed into her and knocked her off her feet. She fell to the ground, pain flooded her system. Her rucksack fell off her shoulders and landed beside her. Rika was so dazed she did not see the stranger hastily retrieve her rucksack and dart off down the station with it. She had been robbed and it all happened so fast. Kyo noticed and darted after him shouting;

"GET BACK HERE YOU BASTARD!" Now Rika was alone, sitting on the floor, hurting from the fall and crying. Why did trouble always follow her wherever she went? Why was she always targeted? It all made no sense and her heart felt like it would easily break once more. Everything was gone, and it was only due to her appearance.

* * *

Meanwhile Momiji, Haru and Yuki were in the sweet shop. Momiji could not make up his mind which ones he wanted. His large brown eyes scanning every jar hungrily, if he could have his own way he would have had every one.

"Hurry up, we haven't got all day-" Haru whined, placing his hands in his pockets. Momiji pouted;

"But I like all of them-" Yuki had moved over to the door and was staring out of the window. He was watching a commotion begin to unfold in the bus station, a large crowd of people were forming and he was sure he saw a few policemen scattered amongst their forms.

"Hey, something's going on in the bus station-" Yuki said getting everyone's attention. Momiji had forgotten about the task at hand and both he and Haru moved over to the door to also witness the commotion. Haru narrowed his eyes and mumbled;

"An old lady probably got mugged or something. It always goes on around here-"

"There are some sick people around nowadays-" Yuki mused, as he continued to stare at the commotion. For some reason he was drawn to it, it was as if it was important to him and he had no idea why. Momiji moved back over to the counter and asked the lady;

"Can I have a bag of strawberry sweets please?"

"Why of course you can sweetheart" She replied, reaching up above her to grab a small bag of sweets. As she placed them on the weighing scales she asked for the designated amount of money. Momiji complied, handed her the money and retrieved the sweets. As he walked back over to Haru and Yuki with the sweets he saw their countenances scarred with apprehension. Something was obviously wrong. Momiji cut through the silence;

"Hey what's wrong Yuki? Where are Rika and Kyo?"

"That is what we are wondering too-" Haru answered instead. All their eyes transfixed on the scene, they saw a thin figure rise up from the floor and two older ladies assisting the person. On closer inspection Yuki detected it was in fact Rika and with that instantly darted out of the shop and began running to the scene. Haru glanced across at Momiji and then they both did the same, following Yuki to the scene of the crime.

* * *

Rika held her head, it was all a blur. A policeman stood before her, holding a notebook as she tried to remember what had happened. She did not see the stranger clearly but all she knew was that the stranger was male. Two older ladies gently rubbed her shoulders to comfort her as her body convulsed due to the stress.

"Ms. Saito could you please give an account of what actually happened?" Rika swallowed hard as she tried to answer the officer;

"Well officer, I was walking with my friend when someone bumped into me and I fell over then he swiped my bag and ran off. My friend has ran after him but I do not know where they are-" Rika wiped her face as one of the ladies gently hugged her to stop her from shedding anymore tears. The officer wrote all of what Rika told him down in the notebook and re-read the notes to ensure it was all properly accounted for.

"Okay, Ms. Saito we will contact you if we catch the person who robbed you. For now please get some rest and take it easy-" She nodded and the officer walked over to another, conversed for a moment and left. They were a big help, they did not even try to seem interested. Maybe it was due to how she was dressed; yeah that was always a good excuse. From afar she heard a voice;

"Ms. Saito!" She recognised that voice, it was Yuki. She felt her heart lift from the depths of despair when she saw his figure come into focus. He had ran all the way here for her? She sniffled; she was not going to cry anymore. She had to be stronger than this. Slowly but surely she stood up, awaiting Yuki's arrival. When he got there he collided with her and wrapped his arms around her.

"Are you alright?"

"No-" she mumbled sadly "-I got robbed, Kyo has gone after them though" Yuki continued to embrace her tightly in a protective hold, now he would never allow anything like this to happen again. Rika trembled slightly in his arms due to the stress; it was obviously linked to the robbery.

"Ms. Saito, I want you to come back to our home tonight. You cannot possibly go home tonight, not after this event, I won't allow it-"

"But-" she began to protest, she did not want to be a burden to them and also her mother would be worried if she did not return home.

"No buts' Ms. Saito, it is final. You can call your parents at our home to tell them about the ordeal and that we are looking after you" Rika smiled for a moment, why were they so kind to her? She did not deserve it, after all according to a majority vote she was classed as a freak of nature.

Yuki released Rika from his embrace and she smiled, happy that someone was here looking out for her for once in her entire existence. She longed to know if Kyo was okay and if he had caught the robber. It was very brave of him to immediately give chase like that.

"Kyo thinks a lot of you, you know-" Yuki muttered as his eyes focused in the direction of where Kyo had darted off in. Rika blinked curiously;

"He… does?" Yuki nodded, not aware of the fact that Momiji and Haru were arriving at the scene of the crime behind him. Yuki pondered if he should tell Rika about Kakeru's infatuation and his jealously towards Kyo but for now he chose not to.

"I saw how he behaved with you on the bus; Kyo never normally behaves like that. I guess he can relate to you a lot-" Rika thought, Kyo had been bullied? He did not seem the sort to allow bullies to prevail and the thought saddened her. There were many evil creatures walking the Earth it seemed. There was but one thing she wanted more than anything and that was Kyo's safe return. Her possessions could be replaced but he could not.

"I hope he gets back safely-" she mumbled, still trying to look for his figure amongst the crowds queuing for other buses.

"He will, trust me. It is Kyo after all" Yuki said, turning around now to see Momiji and Haru walking towards them. It was apparent they wanted to know about what event had took place here and Yuki trudged over to them to explain. Rika decided to sit down and rest for a moment, the day had been extremely hectic and unusual, apart from getting robbed the day had not been as ominous as she envisioned. She had met four lovely people who she knew would be extremely important in her life, one way or another. Momiji heard what had happened and rushed over to Rika with his bag of sweets.

"Are you okay Rika?" She nodded and smiled. He handed her the bag of sweets and asked;

"Want one?"

"Okay then-" she hastily took one of the strawberry shaped sweets and ate it. She, much the same as Momiji also loved sweets. It seemed they both had a sweet tooth.

Rika turned her head to the direction Kyo had darted off in, she hoped he would return soon. She did not want to think if he had been injured because of her, she would never forgive herself. While she thought about those issues her eyes widened and they sparkled in joy as she perceived his tall figure walk casually through the crowd. He had returned. A glimmer of joy sparked in her heart for a moment which made her instantly forget about the ordeal, at least Kyo was safe. When his figure neared to her she could see the anger scarred into his features, he was furious about the robbery.

"That bastard got away from me-" he cursed, his fists clenched by his sides.

"You did your best Kyo-" Haru added in, nodding at him in approval. Kyo's amber eyes portrayed sadness, maybe due to the fact he believed he had failed in his task. He eased his figure into the seat beside Rika and mumbled;

"I am sorry I could not get your stuff back" she warmly smiled;

"It's okay, at least you tried. I was more concerned about if you got hurt or not" He turned to face her and his eyes fixed their gaze onto her countenance. He asked, rather puzzled;

"You were more concerned about me?" Rika nodded and mumbled shyly;

"Yes, because possessions can be replaced. You can't be replaced Kyo-" She now was more than sure she perceived a red hue form on his cheeks and he looked away in embarrassment. Yuki decided to interrupt the sweet moment by announcing;

"Ms. Saito will be staying with us tonight Kyo, I believe it would be beneficial after her ordeal don't you agree?" Kyo weakly nodded, he hated agreeing with Yuki over anything. Rika smiled, feeling content. She was going to spend more time with her friends and it delighted her. To her, home was boring and monotonous but going to a 'friend's' house was something she had never done before and it made her somewhat excited. As she stood up and Kyo did so too all of them continued their walk home, Kyo walking beside Rika just like always. He was being the protective figure that no-one ever was in her life. She was eternally grateful to all of them and she would thank them all someday.

* * *

_**(Thanks again for reading this fic; I had to add in a mugging because it relates to real life issues then. Please review and thank you)**_


	6. Knowing The Enemy

_**(Disclaimer I do not own Fruits Basket. Awww poor Rika! She got mugged poor thing. How will this alter things? Review please!)**_

Chapter Five: Knowing the enemy

Rika remembered first stepping foot into the Sohma's house, Momiji and Haru had left to go to their house. They bid their farewells and it took a lot of time before Momiji would actually leave Rika alone. She could not help but smile at his mannerisms; it uplifted her spirits from being in the pits of despair due to the terrible event that had occurred. As she entered the house with both Kyo and Yuki she watched as Yuki yelled around the house;

"We're home and we have a visitor, her name is Rika Saito, so be on your best behaviour" Rika aimlessly glanced around at the majestic house; it was tastefully decorated and much nicer than her own abode. In comparison she felt as if her measly lot was nothing like this. As she continued to space out at the lovely décor she did not perceive another figure appear from behind a door.

"Why hello there Rika" the voice sounded, this made Rika snap out of her trance and pause in her walking action. She eyed this figure up and down. He was older than she was, a lot older. Maybe he looked after Kyo and Yuki? Kyo remained beside Rika in a protective like manner, he knew what his cousin was like, and he had a tendency to be perverted at times. Yuki sighed;

"Shigure, please don't make Ms. Saito feel uncomfortable with your pervertedness-"

"As if I would!" he exclaimed, laughing slightly. Rika's brow crinkled as she looked at this strange being, perverted? Brilliant, just what she needed right now. Suddenly Kyo yanked on Rika's arm and started to pull her away from the scene;

"I am gonna show her around the house and keep her away from your pervertedness-"

"Kyokyo why do you always insult me with your words? I am not that bad surely and besides I have a lot more tact than to act like that in front of a stranger you know" Shigure mocked back,

"Yeah sure, whatever" Kyo mumbled. Shigure watched Kyo leave up the stairs with Rika in tow. She did make any complaints however; maybe she too did not want to be in the company of him.

* * *

As both Rika and Kyo left the vicinity Yuki leaned against the wall, sighing. Something was obviously troubling him. Shigure noticed, looked at him and asked;

"Something wrong Yuki?"

"No, it's just Kyo is starting to annoy me-" Yuki answered, his dark eyes tracing the outlines in the ceiling. Shigure chuckled;

"Since when doesn't he? You two are always fighting and destroying the house so what's new?" Yuki shook his head;

"No, I meant as in he told me that he had feelings for Ms. Honda and was going to confess to her next time he saw her and now he's gallivanting about with Ms. Saito. It as if she's replacing Ms. Honda and it is not fair-" Shigure placed a hand to his chin in thought.

"Well, if you ask me Kyo and Tohru do make a match made in hell so maybe this is not such a bad idea."

"It still doesn't justify the fact it is wrong" Yuki continued, getting more annoyed the longer the conversation lingered.

"I think I sense a hint of jealously here-" Shigure mumbled before hastily leaving the room, meaning Yuki was alone. Once more he sighed and looked up at the ceiling, it was much more than that he just was not prepared to confess anything as of yet.

* * *

Kyo dragged Rika to his hiding place, the place where he got away from the stresses at home if he needed to, the roof. As he clambered up the ladders he heard Rika's voice not too far behind;

"Why did you drag me away like that?" Kyo moved over to his favourite spot on the roof and sat down comfortably. He waited for Rika to sit by him before he told her the reason;

"My cousin is a complete pervert and I don't want you hanging around with him. He is a bad influence" Rika smiled and gently hit Kyo on the arm;

"I can defend myself you know" Kyo looked across at her and smiled also. His amber eyes sparkling in the sunshine. Rika now decided to glance around, why had Kyo bought her here? It was however extremely peaceful and serene and she liked it. It was away from everything, everyone and just her and Kyo knew of this place. In her mind it was theirs but then she cursed. She was being silly, this place was not theirs it was Kyo's and Kyo's only. She was just company for now until the time came.

"When will you see Tohru then?" Rika asked. She wanted answers. Kyo blinked curiously at her before realising what she had just said. He shrugged;

"I dunno, probably tomorrow-" she mentally kicked herself, only till tomorrow? Wow that was short notice.

"Well, I hope it goes well for you" she said, smiling at him with endearment. Kyo turned his gaze away from her and mumbled;

"Yeah me too-" His voice was not full of the confidence it used to be and that alarmed her. It was one of her special talents with people, if people were not acting their normal selves or were hiding a deep secret she would instantly know and find out the cause. That was the kind of person she was. Next it was Kyo's turn to break the deafening silence;

"So, you got anyone special in your life?" she immediately laughed at his question. Kyo's eyes widened, had he said something bad? Rika replied;

"Are you kidding? Like anyone would ever go out with an Emo freak. You make me laugh sometimes Kyo-" It was apparent the laugh was to disguise the fact that what he said actually hurt her deep down; she had never had a boyfriend. No-one ever went near her; it was as if she had a disease that could be easily passed around if anyone went near her. She had been on her own for too long. Kyo shook his head;

"Don't be silly, you shouldn't say things like that. I don't call you a freak do I? I'd call that damn rat a freak any day of the week though-" She smiled; at least he was trying to console her somewhat. As if by instinct she gently rested her head on his arm as they both watched the birds fly overhead, swooping and diving playfully. Rika sighed, she could feel how tense Kyo was at this situation but for now that did not matter, all that mattered was this time, this moment. There was not much of it left, it was better to enjoy what time was left than waste it away.

* * *

Yuki decided that to clear his head from unwanted thoughts he would take a trip to his secret base. It was the place where he grew all the vegetables for the family and it was the perfect getaway. The problem was that even this place had memories of the past, memories of when he took Tohru there and they had protected the vegetables from a bad storm. As he reminisced he smiled, those were the days. He began to water his leeks that were growing rapidly and would be harvested more than likely at the end of the month if they continued growing like this. That was a good outcome. Whilst he watered the plants he heard a buzzing sound, it got louder and louder and then he realised. It was his phone, someone was calling him. He placed the watering can down, grabbed his phone from his pocket and placed it to his ear;

"Hello?"

"Hey buddy!" It was a familiar voice. It was Kakeru. Yuki placed a hand to his forehead; he really did not need this right now.

"What do you want now Kakeru?"

"I called to let you know that I saw Tohru a few moments ago at the store. She said she will see you all tomorrow after work" Yuki stood up straight, pacing up and down his garden as the conversation went further;

"Did you tell her about Ms. Saito?" a chuckle was heard;

"No, it's not my place to say is it? Oh and by the way, because tomorrow is our day off wanna go out somewhere? You know, manly day out sorta thing?

"Manly… day... out?" Yuki repeated. Kakeru never suggested anything like that unless he wanted something, Yuki knew him too well.

"Yeah, anywhere is fine" Yuki sighed, not knowing whether or not he should comply with his request;

"I don't know, I have a lot of things to do tomorrow-"

"Awwww come on YunYun don't be a spoilsport!" Kakeru whined on the other end of the phone. Yuki cringed, he hated hearing that nickname.

"Kakeru please do not call me that-"

"Okay YunYun, I won't" he answered, chuckling childishly down the phone. Yuki sighed once more, this was becoming ever more tedious to withstand.

"Look Kakeru, I am really busy I will talk to you later-"

"Sure, no problem" and with that the phone clicked off. Yuki gently placed his phone back in his pocket when he thought about what Kakeru had told him, Tohru would be coming over tomorrow? Well, at least Kyo would have to do something then. Tohru of course was oblivious to his affections but Yuki knew and the fact he knew was torturing him. Tohru was very special in his life and he would not allow Kyo to mess with her feelings in the way he easily could do.

* * *

Up on the roof Rika and Kyo spent a lot of time making idle chit chat about their likes and dislikes, surprisingly they had a lot more in common than they ever would of thought.

"I hate leeks too-" Rika whined, making a vomit face. Kyo chuckled and placed a hand to his face. At least the conversation was making some headway. He nodded;

"I can't stand them, I remember when Tohru lived with us she made leek soup and I almost died-" he laughed once more but Rika did not. She blinked, she lived with him? She had no idea. Curiously Rika asked;

"Tohru lived with you?"

"Yeah, her mom died and so that damn rat said she could stay here. I was not too keen at first but after a while it wasn't so bad-" Rika started to think, what could this Tohru girl be like? Pretty? Slim? Normal, yes definitely. Everything Rika was not. She refused to show her emotions however, that was one thing she was good at most of time. She was good at putting up a façade to hide her true emotions and so far so good. She nodded;

"That's lovely, why did she leave?"

"She moved back in with her Granddad and got a full-time job and so did not go to college like we do. To be honest, it was lonely in this house-" Kyo replied, his amber eyes staring down at his feet for the first time during the conversation. Rika kept her dark eyes firmly fixed on Kyo; she wanted to know more even though she was being nosey.

"Is it still lonely?" She asked. He nodded and she swallowed hard. Tohru must be a very special girl to have this kind of effect on someone. Rika decided she needed to lighten the mood a bit, it was becoming more and more depressing as time lingered and so she muttered;

"Well, I am staying tonight so at least you won't be as lonely" she smiled and he smiled too. Kyo nodded;

"I guess you're right, it makes a nice change" She turned her head away from his direction and now had time to think, about a lot of things. About life in general, why did she feel so utterly useless when she was around him? It was as if she could not help him no matter what she did. There was only one person who could help him; she knew that, it was Tohru. She would never be able to give him the comfort he needed from her. It was not possible and she had to accept that but the more time she spent with the orange haired boy the more attached she got to him. In what way she was not sure of yet but she was attached to him. The explanation could have been that in fact he was so similar to her.

* * *

While thinking it was interrupted by Yuki appearing suddenly up the ladder. His dark eyes gazed across at Kyo and he informed;

"Kakeru phoned me to let me know that Tohru will be arriving tomorrow-" Kyo turned his gaze to Yuki and merely nodded in agreement. He did not like conversing with Yuki at the best of times. Yuki turned his attention to Rika and asked;

"You alright up here Ms. Saito? Kyo not giving you a hard time?" Kyo gave Yuki a cursed look as Rika answered;

"No everything is fine, thank you" Yuki nodded;

"Okay, we are having take out tonight and it will be ordered around 6pm" Rika smiled, they were even getting food for her. How generous.

"Oh and by the way-" Yuki said, just now remembering something he needed to ask Rika. "-Can you give me your parent's phone number? Shigure is going to phone them to tell them you're safe and staying here the night" Throughout the conversation Kyo had remained mute, he hated being in the vicinity of Yuki. Rika told him the number. Yuki nodded; did he have a good memory or something?

"I will tell Shigure, bye for now Ms. Saito" then instantly he disappeared down the ladders. It was as if he never even appeared. She blinked for a moment; she knew that Kyo would now be adamant about conversing ever since Yuki's interference.

* * *

The atmosphere returned to normal as the gentle breeze playfully tugged at Rika's dark hair. Kyo was facing away from her; it was obviously due to Yuki's appearance. She glanced across at him and sighed. Now she felt uncomfortable.

"Kyo is everything okay?" Silence, he did not respond. Something was wrong and she was not prepared to sit back and do nothing. Slowly she rose up from her sitting position and moved closer to the figure of Kyo. Slowly she sat down again, closer to him than before. She poked him;

"Oi, grumpy guts what's wrong-"

"It's that damn rat-" he mumbled, just loud enough for Rika to comprehend. She chuckled;

"Man you've got issues with him. Anyone would think you've got a crush on him or something"

"DON'T BE STUPID!" he cursed angrily at her making her jump slightly. A silence commenced for a moment before Kyo actually turned to face Rika once more. Sadness was clearly seen in his amber eyes and Rika knew something was wrong.

"Kyo, please tell me-" she pursued. He sighed;

"That damn rat knows that I like Tohru and when we walked home he warned me. He told me that if I wanted Tohru then not to have anything to do with you otherwise Tohru would think I am using her or words to that effect. It annoys me because he thinks he can just boss me about and be all god damn high and mighty-" Rika swallowed hard, Yuki wanted Kyo to ignore her and to not have anything to do with her? No wonder his behaviour had altered. She mumbled;

"Are you going to listen to him?" Kyo shook his head;

"I never listen to that damn rat so why would I now? Besides, I can be friends with whomever I like, he doesn't control my god damn life" Rika could not help but smile. Kyo classed her as a friend? That meant so much to her, the fact she was someone's friend lifted her spirits.

"That means a lot you know" she retorted, smiling at him. Once more that red hue started to form on his cheeks and he looked away. For the first time in a long time Rika finally felt as if she belonged somewhere, that she belonged here, with him. If not forever then just for now, and if not in any other way than friendship then so be it. She would never be vindictive and she knew that she would accept whatever life threw at her now with ease. She was done with the torture from the devilish mockery of humans, now she had moved on with a new life, new friends and a new goal in life.

* * *

_**(Thanks to all the fans of this fic, I owe it to you all. I am thankful people like this, which is why I will continue to write it. Thanks and please review)**_


	7. The Simple Things In Life

_**(Disclaimer I do not own Fruits Basket, you knew that already right? This is the longest chapter so far and the others will probably be much longer as I have more ideas :) Thanks)**_

Chapter Six: The Simple Things in Life

After dinner with the Sohma's Rika decided it would be a good idea to have a good conversation with her mother about the day's events. Her mother was deemed a worry-wart after all and was always concerned about her only daughter and how she was coping. Yes, she had dealt with the fact she dressed differently to others but when she knew about the bullying and the self-harming it really made her protective of her and now every little thing terrified her. Rika hesitantly picked up the phone and dialled her house number, she had no idea how she would explain the whole situation but talking would be beneficial in this circumstance. A pause before her mother's voice was heard;

"Hello?"

"Hey mom- it's me" she said, hoping that her mother would not suddenly start barking down the phone making her wince. She hoped that she could have a decent and calm conversation with her. Surprisingly her mother did not go ballistic and merely responded;

"How are you my little angel? Your friends have already called me to tell me that you're staying over there tonight. I am glad you have made friends already darling"

"Yes mom" she grumbled, she hated it when she called her pet-names such as those. Placing her free hand to her forehead she explained the event of the day;

"I got robbed today mom in the bus station, my friend gave chase but he could not get my stuff back. I am sorry mom-"

"Hey, do not fret darling. I am just glad you're safe and sound. I will have to thank your friend in some way. Is it a boy?"

"Yes-" Rika answered, knowing her mother would most likely jump to conclusions immediately. She could almost hear the jovial tones of her voice through the phone;

"Oh really? Does my little angel like this boy?"

"Mom please give it a rest-" Rika cursed, she hated this. Why couldn't her mother realise that she had grown up and was not a child anymore. Her mother chuckled on the other end of the phone;

"Sorry precious, just I would never have imagined you to be good friends with a boy on your first day. My instincts tell me that there is something there" Rika sighed;

"He's nice mom that is all, I am staying at his tonight with his cousin Yuki, and he took me on a tour of the college this morning. He is a real sweetheart"

"Sounds lovely darling-" her mother sounded on the other end of the phone. "I am just glad that your safe and sound and that you did not get injured during the robbery. Be sure to tell your boyfriend that he is more than welcome to come round anytime-"

"MOM!" Rika growled loudly, hoping that she did not disturb any of the residents in the house. Returning to the conversation she mumbled;

"Mom seriously, he is not my boyfriend-" Her mother sighed on the end of the phone as if she was disappointed;

"Well, if you say so darling anyway I have to go now, your brother will be home from work soon and I have to get dinner done. See you soon precious-"

"Bye mom-" and with that she hung up.

* * *

Rika sighed and leaned against the wall for a few moments. She could not believe that her mother had assumed her and Kyo were an item. She had only met him today! It was ridiculous and not to mention totally out of the question. It was not even possible. She combed her fingers through her dark hair in frustration. In a way she did miss her mother and brother, they were the only family she had left. Her dad died when she was little and so her mother was left to bring up both her and her brother as a single parent and she did an excellent job. Both Rika and her brother Rio got bullied at school but Rio had grown up, got a job and moved on, he was after all twenty years old and she was only sixteen.

"Who is not your boyfriend?" A familiar husky voice making Rika jump up suddenly. When she turned around she depicted the soft features of none other than Kyo himself. This would be awkward. She hesitantly replied;

"It's nothing; my mom just assumes things-"

"Like what?" Kyo pursued, now resting his hand on the wall and his amber eyes gazing directly into Rika's countenance. She was now beginning to worry, she did not want to tell Kyo but she knew she probably had to. Kyo was as stubborn as she was.

"Mom assumed that you and I are dating and I put the record straight-" she expected his face to twist into an abhorred look or for him to scream out 'OH GOD NO HOW GROSS' or words to that effect, however she found none. He merely chuckled and shook his head;

"It's okay, I heard you shouting and I could not help but listen in on the conversation-" Rika now felt like a prize idiot and felt her cheeks begin to burn. Dammit, if she started to blush it would be extremely noticeable again her pale complexion. She did not want him to see her blushing and so turned her face away.

"Anyway-" he broke through the dreaded silence. "Wanna go for a walk?"

"A walk?" she asked, slightly confused, it was dark now and he wanted to go for a walk? Not quite what she had in mind but nevertheless. Kyo nodded;

Yeah, it's always good to walk off a full stomach and besides, it is a beautiful night-" Rika felt uncomfortable, since when did Kyo get poetic about the night sky? Did some-one put something in his food? However, the thought of actually taking a peaceful stroll with him delighted her; maybe it would help her think things through more thoroughly.

"Okay then, sure thing" she answered, smiling at the orange haired boy who returned the same kind smile. He gently grabbed her arm and led her out of the door, out into the open, ready to start their walk.

* * *

Yuki and Shigure sat down in Shigure's office, talking about issues that were affecting Yuki. Shigure balanced a pen in between his nose and his top lip as he thought. Yuki sighed, why couldn't Shigure act more sensible in times of stress? He pondered;

"So Yuki you still have issues concerning Rika and Kyo?" He nodded and mumbled;

"Yes, if he likes Ms. Honda then he should back off Ms. Saito. It is unfair to both of them. If anything, he is leading Ms. Saito on" Shigure continued in his balancing act as he thought about the issue. It was a breakthrough as he never usually thought about things on a big scale such as this.

"Maybe he likes both of them?"

"That's absurd-" Yuki butted in, folding his arms in haste. His eyes diverted their gaze to the array of books lined up on the right side of the room.

"How is it absurd Yuki?" Shigure questioned.

"It just is. He cannot possibly love Ms. Honda then like Ms. Saito. It's wrong-" Yuki answered in defiance. He had no idea that the way it was coming across the Shigure was that he was in fact jealous of Kyo. Shigure now took the pen into his hands and pointed it at Yuki;

"You see Yuki, from where I am standing, or sitting in this case, it seems that you're jealous of Kyo"

"Why would I be jealous of that stupid cat?" he cursed, still refusing to look at the rambling dog who still refrained from giving in.

"Because now he has taken Rika's attention and you haven't, just like he did with Tohru. You're annoyed because she is not always hanging around with you and you have taken your anger out and are trying to come up with a possible solution. You believe he is wrong to make yourself feel better" Yuki shook his head in denial;

"You are wrong; I am merely concerned about Ms. Saito as I was for Ms. Honda. Lucky for her Ms. Honda left before this got out of hand but Ms. Saito is not as naïve as Ms. Honda and she will want more from this. She is that sort of girl-" Shigure stood up from his seat and searched through the array of books, apparently searching for something in particular. As he searched he mumbled;

"Now, now Yuki you should not think wrongly of Rika. She seems like a nice girl and so what if you spends more time with Kyo? They have a lot in common, it's only natural-"

"But still-" Yuki whined. "It's wrong" Shigure sighed and went back to his seat. This conversation was about as thrilling as watching paint dry on the wall but nevertheless Shigure dealt with it.

"I suggest you speak to Rika about your issues and not me, maybe she will answer your questions and fears or whatever they are to you-" As Shigure said those words Yuki rose to his feet. It was apparent that this issue was affecting his mentality; it was clearly seen in his usually relaxed and serene features. Yuki nodded weakly before hastily exiting the room and leaving Shigure to balance the pen on his lip once again.

* * *

The night sky was indeed beautiful, stars danced overhead and the large moon shone its majestic light down onto their figures. In some ways it was romantic, at least for her it was. As they walked Rika started to feel slightly uneasy, she had never felt uneasy about being around Kyo until a few hours ago, on the roof and then when her mother assumed they were an item and then when Kyo asked her about it. Ever since then she had felt a large lump congeal in her throat and she did not know why. Kyo had also remained mute for the entire time they trudged through the forest just outside his home. It was so beautiful and serene and it was the perfect night for a walk, just like Kyo suggested but maybe walking with him was not a good idea.

"Rika-" Kyo mumbled, interrupting the silence. Her large dark eyes flickered across his face as she heard her name being called. She could not see him clearly due to the poor light but she knew he was there. It was as if she could sense his heartbeat.

"Yes Kyo?"

"Can I ask why your mom assumed we were an item? Did you say anything to her?" Rika swallowed hard, she did not want to converse about this anymore. It was bad enough as it was without bringing it back up. She merely shrugged;

"That's my mom for you, she always assumes things. Just ignore it, it's no big deal-" She shivered for a moment, the breeze was perhaps a little chillier than she imagined. She could not believe that Kyo actually wore a normal t-shirt in the cold, was he crazy? Then again she was one to talk; she was hardly wearing appropriate clothing. Rika decided to allow him to know one important thing that she had forgotten to let him know;

"She wants to meet you-"

"Who? Your mom?" Kyo asked, slightly dumbfounded. She nodded;

"Yes, she said she is very grateful that you tried to get my stuff back and wants to thank you properly-" Kyo chuckled as they continued their stroll. He seemed somewhat bashful at the compliment and did not know how to react to it. He decided that doing something simple would suffice and so ending up muttering;

"Okay, no problem"

After some time of walking in the silence that had once again commenced they reached a small lake. The reflection of the moon and stars were clearly seen depicted in its clear depths and again it made her take a deep breath. Why was it that Kyo had taken her out here? It was so romantic; maybe Kyo was oblivious to this fact. It was more than likely.

"It so beautiful-" Rika beamed, her eyes sparkling under the moonlight that shone on her pale complexion. Kyo looked across at her, his amber eyes reflecting the moonshine. He remained silent and just kept his gaze on her, never fleeting just remaining in the same spot. She was also oblivious to his gaze and kept her eyes focused on the ripples on the water, at how majestic it all was to her. It was as if this was another world and she was lucky enough to breathe it all in even if it was just for a few moments. She heard a shy voice;

"It is not as beautiful as something else in this world-" After those words escaped into the open air it seemed to suddenly get cold very quickly and slowly she turned her eyes to his, she saw his own amber eyes never leaving hers. It was starting to freak her out, but only slightly. Goosebumps tingled on her arms, was the cold doing this? She was unsure; however she swallowed hard and turned away again. What the hell was going on? Had he gone all mushy on her? It could not just be due to the fantastic scenery could it? Rika racked through her brain, now why was Kyo acting like this? That was it, he had definitely eaten something off, Yuki had poisoned him, yeah, what an excellent explanation. She should of thought of it sooner. She needed to get rid of that gaze. That _oh- so- sickly sweet_ gaze, and decided she needed a diversion.

"Do you know where I am sleeping tonight?" she enquired calmly, trying not to sound too nervous.

"I guess you can have my room, it is okay I will use the couch-" Kyo answered, his gaze now resting on the water in the lake. Now it was Rika's turn to gaze at Kyo's countenance, at his amber eyes filled with sorrow, at his straight orange hair, at his tanned complexion that was still seen under the shine of the moon, at the perfection that stood right next to her, the perfection she could not have.

"Wanna sit down?" Kyo said, breaking through her thoughts and alarming her for a moment. The idea seemed okay and so she complied. She settled her figure on the grass just beside her companion and they both watched the stars overhead dance and flutter majestically as if they were calling out to her, trying to tell her something, a vital piece of evidence. Maybe they were telling her _'just open your eyes'_

* * *

Yuki sat in his bedroom, sitting on the chair near his computer desk. The only thing that would keep his mind off things is chatting to others, maybe Kakeru would be online? Then again, that was not a good idea. He scrolled through his list of contacts and to his surprise he found that Tohru was online. Maybe talking to her would ease his exert mind. He found himself click on her name and start the conversation;

_'Hello Ms. Honda, why are you online so late at night?'_After a few minutes she replied;

'_Oh hey Yuki, yeah I thought I would have some me time. How is everything at the house?"_

'_Terrible'_ Yuki knew that now she would never cease until she knew the bane of what was causing his terrible mood. She replied;

'_Oh dear, what's wrong?'_

'_A new girl is staying with us for tonight and Kyo is like a cat with string'_Yuki smirked, perfect way of putting it. He knew that this would probably worry Tohru and maybe this would make him choose.

'_How lovely, will she be there tomorrow when I come round?'_

'_I think so, her name is Rika Saito but I will warn you Ms. Honda she is... different'_Yuki did not think that Tohru would be so thrilled to know another girl was here, but Tohru was that sort of girl. She was too good for her own good.

'_What on Earth do you mean different? A good different?'_Tohru's replies were always extremely naïve or extremely nice and it did not seem plausible. Yuki could never understand why she always smiled even when things hurt her.

'_I am not sure'_

'_Well, I am sure she is lovely~ oh I can't wait to meet her!'_Why was she so thrilled? Yuki placed a hand to his forehead, maybe sleep would help him recover from this tedious day, and yeah that was the best option. He could not talk anymore;

'_Anyway Ms. Honda I will see you tomorrow I am starting to feel tired. Goodnight and sleep well'_

'_Okay Yuki, you too'_

With that he ended the conversation and hastily shut his computer down. This was all going to pot. Was it only him who saw the error here? Or was Shigure actually right for a change and he was jealous? No, he was sleep deprived, that was the reason and instantly he got dressed into his pyjamas and settled into bed. As he pulled the covers over his shoulders he hoped that his dreams would not be full of horrible images and that they would be full of better times, of sweet memories.

* * *

It was getting late now and Kyo and Rika had not even noticed the time. They were enjoying the scenery and the low hoot of an owl in a nearby tree. Rika stretched her legs out on the grass and yawned, she was tired. It had been a long day. Kyo looked across at her and mumbled;

"Wanna go back in?" She shook her head;

"Nah, I want to stay out here for a little while longer" Kyo blinked at her curiously, she wanted to stay out here when it was getting colder? Was she insane? He asked;

"Why?" Rika allowed her dark mysterious eyes to wander to Kyo's, she smiled and retorted;

"Because I want to be selfish just a little bit longer" Now to Kyo that statement made no sense but to Rika it was the difference between a lifetime of regret, and a few moments of sheer bliss.

"How are you being selfish?" he pursued, his gaze never shifting from her face. Again she smiled, deceiving the orange top. She was so good at hiding her feelings.

"I have got all this to myself at the moment and I want it to last a little longer" she replied.

Kyo nodded, not really knowing what he was agreeing to but that did not matter. Rika noticed Kyo had turned his gaze to the water once more and she sighed. He was so oblivious just like she was; it was odd how alike they actually were. He had no idea what she meant about having all '_this_' to herself. Was it just about the moment? The scenery? Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kyo stand up and stretch his limbs, they had been sitting down for far too long it seemed. Rika nodded to herself, that was enough now. She stood up also, ready to sleep the night away and wake up to another eventful day.

"Come on let's go-" Kyo said, smiling at her and with that they both trundled back to the house.

As Rika walked she remained a few steps behind Kyo so she could allow her mind to drift away to an alternate reality. She liked that reality, it was so much better than the one she was so used to. After tomorrow her reality would be all turned on its edge and she knew that it would all change. She told herself countless times that she could deal with it; she could deal with seeing Tohru and Kyo together. It would be no big deal to her after all she was strong, she had to be. If she was so strong why was her heart starting to split at the seams? Her dark eyes concentrated on the outline of Kyo as they walked. He had done so much for her in such a short space of time. It was odd how well they gelled together, it was as if they knew each other before now and had only just realised it. No, now her mind really was playing tricks on her. She needed sleep. She needed lots of sleep as a matter of fact; it would all be clear by the morning.

* * *

**A few hours later~**

Kyo was still not asleep, on one note the couch was terribly uncomfortable and on another note his mind was thinking about something, someone. It was not Tohru and he did not understand why. He felt somewhat guilty, he felt as if he was betraying her in every way possible, hell he didn't even know why he thought about Rika. She was so different to everyone else, she had weird habits, weird ways of talking, weird dress sense, and well everything was weird about her but that did not seem to be a bad thing. Maybe different was good. For a moment his eyes rested their gaze on the stairs, he wondered if she was asleep, if she was sleeping peacefully and if she was dreaming of him. Of course she was not, she would never. She was so different to him, she would dream about some-one in the same category as herself, some-one like Haru maybe? Even with those negative thoughts exploding in his mind he needed to know if she was asleep and if she slept peacefully and so he quietly got up from the couch and began his journey to his own room.

'_Why the hell am I doing this?'_

He asked himself in his head, he received no response and just tried to keep quiet. He did not want to awaken rat boy from his slumber or that rambling dog. He just wanted to see her, just to witness her asleep and at ease. Gently he eased open the door to his room and breathed slowly and quietly. Why was this task so difficult? A career as a robber was definitely out of the question. As he moved his figure around the side of the bed he could just see her face. The moonlight shone on her pale complexion through a small gap in the curtains. He did not even know why he was staring at her sleeping; it just gave him a serene feeling, as if everything would be okay. Her face was devoid of her black war paint and her hair was messily covering the pillow. Even in this apparently 'dreadful' state she did not look it, she looked exactly as she did back at the lake. When Kyo referred to other things as being beautiful. She had been so oblivious to not realise it was her he was referring to.

'_You are such a hypocrite for calling Shigure a pervert when you watch a girl asleep!'_

He mentally kicked himself, he knew it was wrong but he could not prevent it. He found his feet edging closer to her figure that was curled up snugly underneath the covers. Blissfully unaware. He gently pulled one of the corners of the duvet that had fallen on the floor and carefully pulled it over her small frame. She mumbled and fidgeted in her sleep state as he did so but she not awaken. Now it was time to leave, he had to, it was wrong to stand here like this. He allowed his amber eyes to look at her serene figure one more time before leaving the room. He mumbling silently to himself;

"Sleep well Rika-"

* * *

_**(Awwww probably the soppiest thing I have ever written meh anyway please review and tell me what you think. Thanks for anyone who likes this story. I will continue just for you. Much loves x)**_


	8. Was It A Dream?

_**(Disclaimer I do not own Fruits Basket, you knew that already right? Awww bless Kyo and Rika, the cuteness! Love it! Please review and thank you all!)**_

Chapter Seven: Was it a dream?

_She could feel warm breath on her cheeks; someone was there, someone she knew too well. Her eyes would not open to allow her the pleasure of witnessing who was sending tingles down her spine. Why were they refusing to open? She could feel her heart start to thunder violently deep inside her chest, it was as if her heart knew exactly who it was, who was giving her this sensation. She could feel fingers combing through her hair, soothing and lulling her. It was bliss. Those hands, she was positive she knew who owned them. Those hands, so soft and inviting, almost teasing her in a way. Rika bit into her lip, why could she not open her eyes? She wanted to see the being that was giving her heart the violent palpitations that were occurring. Once again warm breath was sensed on her pale cheeks as her body tensed suddenly. She did not know what was going on but one thing was for certain, she did not want it to end. Then she was sure she felt soft lips gently pressing against her own, inviting and teasing. She was positive she knew who was doing this but at the same time she was worried in case her instinct was wrong. Rika allowed her lips to merge with the strangers as they kissed. This is what a kiss felt like? It felt as if her insides would explode at any moment, that her heart would suddenly split in two and that she was going insane. The kiss broke and for a moment nothing was more perfect than this moment._

'_Rika-' she heard her name being called softly. That voice, that same husky voice. She knew it, it was obvious now who was giving her these feelings deep within. A smile spread across her face as finally her dark eyes opened to their full extent. It was none other than the guy she had spent a lot of time with since yesterday. It was orange top, Kyo._

'_Kyo, why are you-' Rika asked before she was shushed by his lips colliding with hers. Again her heart started up, why was he kissing her? It was wrong; he loved Tohru did he not? If it felt so wrong, why did it feel so right? As the kiss broke her dark eyes scanned his countenance in search of an answer, of something that would quell her mind._

'_Rika, I need to tell you something very important-' after those words escaped his lips she could see his image slowly fading from her grasp. She was losing him and it was all too soon. Desperately she shouted;_

'_Tell me Kyo, what is it?' As the image finally faded the only words that she managed to decipher were;_

'_I love you-'_

* * *

Jumping up suddenly Rika inhaled sharply. That was some dream. Never in her sixteen years of life had she ever dreamt of another boy, let alone kissing them. Her breathing kept up its languorous state for some time until she finally realised where she was. She was in bed, it was morning and that kiss had never happened. Gently she touched her lips, it felt so real to her, as if he was actually doing that to her. Man, her mind was going into overdrive early in the morning. She rubbed her eyes and mentally told herself to get a grip of her emotions; something like this would never affect her normally so why should it change now? The images of the dream reoccurred frequently as she pursued to ask herself why. Kyo had said he loved her in the dream even if it was the last thing she could remember. It was all wrong, he did not love her, he loved Tohru and she was being stupid. To snap her out of her daydreaming state a knock at the door was heard. Nervously she asked;

"Who is it?"

"It is Yuki, Ms. Saito-" she breathed a sigh of relief; at least it was not Kyo. She did not think she could face him after dreaming about them kissing. She swallowed hard as she got out of her bed and walked to the door. As she opened the door her dark eyes met with Yuki's mysterious ones and then a large tray that contained an attempt at breakfast;

"I bought you breakfast-" he mumbled, obviously displeased with his handy work. She smiled; everyone was so generous to her.

"Thank you Yuki, would you like to come in?" he nodded and Rika allowed him access to the room. She watched as he sat on Kyo's bed (that she had inhabited for the night) and placed the tray carefully on a flat part of the bed. The mess that was meant to be breakfast looked like toast, eggs, bacon, sausages, beans and tomatoes. Was any of it edible? Rika walked over and took a seat next to Yuki still smiling. He was so thoughtful at times.

"You did not have to do all this for me" Rika mumbled shyly, tucking a piece of her black hair behind her ear.

"Nonsense Ms. Saito, it was a pleasure. Besides, ever since Ms. Honda has left Shigure claims I have to help out more" that same smile scarred her lips as she pulled the tray closer to her. In all due respect the food did not look all that bad, she could at least attempt to eat it, right? As she began to eat the mess Yuki kept his gaze on her. She had no makeup on at all which was odd for him to witness considering her eyes were usually black. Now he could clearly see how dark her irises were and how long her eyelashes were. In fact, she looked more appealing with no makeup on. It was time for a compliment.

"You look lovely this morning Ms. Saito-" She paused, was he making fun of her? She looked hideous, like a monster from the black lagoon, at least she thought so.

"Don't talk hogwash Yuki, I look like something from a horror movie-" she giggled and continued to eat the breakfast. To give Yuki some credit at least he over cooked instead of under cooked the food. If he undercooked the food Rika definitely would have been poisoned. Yuki released a small sigh, she was so different to Tohru, if he ever complimented Tohru she would blush and act odd but Rika she was different. She accused him of practically lying to her and insulted herself. Maybe that was what she was accustomed to. He had to accept the fact that complimenting Rika would have to be done another way, if any way.

* * *

_He could see it all so clear, two figures standing at crossroads, waiting for him to join them. Which one would he choose? The right side or the left? The good or the bad? The normal or the different? Kyo bit his lip, his heart thundering deep inside his chest, his mind was telling him to go one way while his heart signalled the other way. It was all a mess. On the right side stood Tohru, the one he used to class as 'his'. Still her normal bubbly self, holding flowers in her hands and smiling that same smile she always did. It was perfection, wasn't it? As his eyes diverted their amber gaze to the other side it depicted Rika in her different attire. Her dark cold eyes staring back at him, her long black hair waving restlessly in the wind. She did not hold flowers or anything beautiful, she held something else, something vital for him to live. From this distance he could not see what the item was but he knew that every time he looked at her his heart would ache. Rika did not smile, her eyes portrayed every emotion running throughout her body._

'_Kyo, let's go for a walk!' Tohru chorused happily, trying to get the orange haired boy's attention. When he took a step towards her direction his heart would ache more and more and he did not know the reason for it. It felt horrible, as if someone was controlling it. His amber eyes shot back at Rika who now held her item out in her palm. Now he realised what it was and his eyes twitched in horror, it wasn't possible._

'_Kyo, you can't go with her because… I have your heart- Rika muttered, allowing Kyo to scan said item. It was horrific, the image of it covered in blood terrified him and he ended up screaming out loud, a scream that echoed throughout the area-_

'_AAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!'_

* * *

"Kyo, Kyo what in God's name has got into you?" Shigure cursed slapping the screaming orange head across the face with a newspaper. Kyo awoke abruptly and jumped up, sweat covering his face. What a terrible dream. His amber eyes gazed restlessly at a displeased Shigure, holding the newspaper at arm's length.

"Man, what a bad dream-" Kyo mumbled, rubbing his forehead with his hand.

"We all have nightmares Kyokyo, but in future please don't scream like a little girl. People were trying to sleep you know" Shigure retorted, now leaving the living quarters with his newspaper. Kyo remained in solitude, trying to come to terms with what he had just dreamt. It was horrific, the image haunted his mind. Why did he dream of Rika actually holding his heart? Was it some kind of metaphor? No, it was not, he wanted Tohru, she was perfection. He sat up and rubbed his eyes. That dream really affected him and now he wondered if he would be able to look at Rika in the same way again. Her eyes were so cold, devoid of emotion, just cold and her voice lacked empathy or any emotion. It was unlike the Rika he knew, the Rika he knew was actually nice, fun to be around, humorous, passionate about the same things as he and was not cold in anyway. She was warm to him, like a fire but that dream portrayed an alternate reality.

"Kyokyo!" Shigure called from his office, getting Kyo's attention finally.

"What do you want, you damned dog?" he cursed, still upset from the dream.

"Yuki wants to talk with Rika today; you know like be more than acquaintances and actually be friends. Back off a bit will you?" Kyo's brow crinkled in anger, Yuki wanted to talk to Rika? Kyo should back off? Why was that? He wanted answers and so retorted;

"Why? What has he got to say to Rika that we all can't frikkin' know?" There was a pause from Shigure's office, signalling he was adamant to converse further on the subject. Kyo was not pleased with the idea of Yuki bad mouthing himself to her; after all it was what he was good at.

"-just give them some space for today okay? After lunch you can take Rika back to her house if she wants you too" Wow, some consolation prize. Kyo grumbled as he stood up and walked to the laundry basket to seize clean clothes for the day ahead of him. Yuki always interfered in his friendships; he couldn't stop himself from making Kyo's life a living hell.

* * *

Rika ate the last piece of the breakfast that was actually edible and placed her cutlery down. She smiled across at Yuki, indicating his cooking was not too bad.

"I can't eat anymore, I think I am going to explode-" she joked, trying to divert the fact that the rest of the breakfast was actually not edible. Yuki smiled; at least she spared his feelings.

"Ms. Saito, I want to ask you something, something important-" He started; he knew it was too late to turn back now as her large dark eyes concentrated on his majestic figure.

"What is it Yuki? Is it something serious?"

"Well, sort of-" he mumbled, how could he put this in a none-sounding jealous way? He swallowed hard, he needed to know. It was after all killing his insides.

"-do you like Kyo?" She blinked curiously, had she given the impression she did? Nevertheless honesty is the best policy and she answered;

"He is nice and funny so yeah I guess I like Kyo. He is a good friend. Why do you ask?" Yuki racked his brains for another plausible explanation for the question, he was meant to be good at this sort of thing. Maybe it would be the perfect time to bring Kakeru into the conversation.

"I was just wondering because Kakeru seems to think that you like Kyo more than him and he is not happy about it. I just wanted clarification from you-" Rika mentally kicked herself. Kakeru? Not him again. He was the last person she would go near even with a ten foot barge pole.

"Sorry Yuki but I would not go near Kakeru even if he was the last guy on the planet. Seriously, I would rather resort to bestiality" Yuki chuckled; he could see where she was coming from after all Kakeru did not have a way with words with females.

"Okay Ms. Saito, no more questions just will you come with me to my secret base today?" Her dark eyes widened in joy, he actually had a secret base? The thoughts that entered her mind were far too surreal for it to be factual but to hell with it, it could happen.

"You have a secret base? No way! That is so not fair-" she whined, folding her arms in a child like manner, much the same as Momiji. Yuki smiled; little did she know his secret base was not what she envisioned.

"I can assure you Ms. Saito it is not what you envision it to be like. You will probably be disappointed"

"Nah, it's still secret and that's good enough for me" She smiled warmly, at least she was becoming ever more optimistic than she used to be. The pessimism was perhaps starting to fade away. Yuki hastily stood up and grabbed the tray.

"I'll allow you get ready and then when you are just tell me and we shall head off-"

"I sure will!" She beamed, still smiling. Wow, what an adventure. She was excited to witness this 'secret base'. Thoughts of what were inside the base filled her mind, was it a secret MI5 camp? A treasure trove? An underwater cavern? Now her mind was going into dream land and she watched Yuki escape the room, tray in tow. As she stood up she walked over to the tall free standing mirror and looked at her reflection, she had slept in her clothes throughout the whole night? Yeah she looked a state. Nevertheless she grabbed a comb that lingered nearby, obviously Kyo's and brushed her long black hair. It was the best she could do giving the conditions of not having any clean clothes, makeup and hair straightners. She hoped Yuki would forgive her dreadful appearance.

* * *

After some time she decided that she looked decent and escaped the room. Step by step she carefully trudged down the stairs until her ears detected a voice. It was obviously Kyo; she knew that voice from anywhere. Due to the fact she was curious by nature she lingered longer than she planned and listened in on what was being said;

"You still coming round today? Yeah, good. Oh yeah, Rika will be in then too so you can meet her before I walk her home-" Rika listened intently, who was he talking to? She tried to listen closer to the conversation;

"You will really like her though Tohru, she has added some extra buzz into the house yanno. Oh what? Oh no! Not in that way, no I kinda like some-one else-" Her heart ached as she heard the conversation, he was talking to Tohru about herself and she knew the conversation they were having was not favourable. At the tone of his voice it was apparent he was disgusted when she must have asked if he liked her. She knew now but even so she continued to listen in;

"-yeah you know her. No it is definitely not that Yankee! Are you insane? No, it is some-one closer to home. No, hey how about when you come around later I tell you then? Okay? Okay yes sure no problem, sure thing, good bye then-" and the conversation ended. Rika now sat on the stairs, her dark eyes beheld the horror that she heard. He was so close to confessing just then, why did he choose not to? Did he know she was there? Every beat her heart uttered gave her an incurable ache and she detested it. She knew the cause, it was obvious.

As Kyo exited the living quarters his paused. His amber eyes diverted their soft gaze to Rika's crouching form. He knew she had been listening. She needed to speak first, to clear her name;

"How come you did not confess?" Kyo looked away and mumbled;

"It is not the right time, I got too much on my mind right now-" Rika sighed;

"Same here-" her dark eyes looked away, for some reason another emotion came to mind, was this jealously that she felt? No, she had never been jealous in all her life so why would she now? Kyo walked towards the banister of the stairs and leaned his figure against it;

"Yuki wants to talk to you today apparently according to that rambling dog-"

"Yes, he already has-" she answered; now looking back at the orange top.

"Oh, anything important?" She shook her head, like she was going to tell him that Yuki asked about Kyo. That was absurd, she was not that stupid. Subject change was needed, pronto.

"So Kyo, sleep well last night?"

"No, you?" he answered quickly.

"Well, I guess so. Why did you not sleep well?" He swallowed hard, how could he explain the fact he had a nightmare about her. It would offend her to no end. Then again he wondered if she actually would take any offence.

"I had a nightmare-" he confessed.

"Oh dear, what happened-" Rika asked, now forgetting the huge knotted feeling that congealed in the pit of her stomach. Kyo rubbed his forehead with his hands, how could he explain? He needed to use extreme sensitivity and tact;

"Well, I dreamt that you and Tohru were at crossroads and when I went to go with Tohru you said I could not and your eyes were so cold and bitter and-" he paused, he sounded an idiot, he knew it. He also needed to remember to breathe when explaining.

"-go on" she said, extremely interested. He swallowed hard once more; this was harder to confess than a fight with Chuck Norris.

"-well, you said I could not go with Tohru, you held an object that meant a lot to me. That I could not live without-"

"Which was?" Rika pursued, wanting to know everything. Kyo was not going to go back now, she had got him and she was keeping him there. His eyes dropped to the floor as those words escaped his lips;

"-you held my heart and said that I could not be with Tohru because you had my heart"

A deafening silence commenced which made both Rika and Kyo very tense. Rika pondered, he dreamt of her too? Was it sheer coincidence? But the dream Kyo had was more horrific than the one she had, hers was blissful and his was heart rendering, literally. She swallowed hard, not really knowing what to say back to his explanation.

"Wow, what an odd dream-"

"You're telling me-" he muttered, looking away. Rika's eyes sparkled but for an instant as the realisation sunk in. It was not the fact that she was in the dream that upset her, it was the fact she said those words in the dream. She would never say those words, ever. She knew her place in his world. She did however wonder why his eyes portrayed a heart rendering sadness that echoed more than what the dream meant. It was something a lot more than that, something deep down and he would not confess that just yet. She watched as his eyes gazed back onto her countenance as if he were searching for those cold eyes. Of course she would never look at him in that way, it was not possible, not now or ever for that matter.

"Don't worry Kyo, dreams aren't real and normally never happen so don't worry-" Those words were so hard to say as her dream felt real, it felt so real she thought maybe he did kiss her and now the look in his eyes portrayed the guilt. No, of course she was wrong. Kyo did not have any affection for her apart from friendship, that was her role in his life and no matter what she would always remain nothing but that, a good friend.

* * *

_**(AWWWWW :'( next chapter will introduce Tohru properly so look forward to it. Thanks and pleeeeeease review, it inspires me to write more)**_


	9. Time Is Of The Essence

_**(Disclaimer I do not own Fruits Basket, you knew that already right? So I wonder what will happen between Rika and Kyo, will they have a happy ending? Review please)**_

Chapter Eight: Time is of the essence

Rika remembered following Yuki to his secret base which he spoke of. She was so excited and her mind wandered to what kind of base it was. Maybe it concealed rare treasures or gold or something? It was not likely; she was allowing her mind to go into over drive. As they arrived all she saw was a vegetable patch. Was this it? This was lame but she bit into her lip to quell the complaint. At least Yuki tried to take her somewhere different, even if it was full of vegetables. She watched him as he carefully tended to his garden as if they were his children. The scene unfolding filled her with joy; she would never have thought she could be content with watching some-one water a garden but she did. It was somewhat peaceful and it helped calm her mind for once.

"What do you think?" Yuki asked, kneeling down as he watered his leeks. Rika could not help but smile.

"It is lovely, not quite what I expected but still it is something to be proud of. You must put a lot of effort into tending the vegetables" He nodded and continued. The only bad thing he grew was leeks, leeks she hated and detested with a passion almost in sync with Kyo. It was odd, Rika would never have assumed Yuki to enjoy gardening in his spare time, and he seemed to like other things such as poetry, music or the finer things in life. Rika tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear as she continued to watch. Lucky for them the weather was beautiful, hot and sunny and the plants absorbed every drop. The warmth of the sun heated her back which delighted her, now she did not mind standing outside if the weather was this divine.

"I was wondering what I should grow next-" Yuki mused at an empty patch of soil.

"How about strawberries?" Rika asked. Yuki's eyes widened, Tohru loved strawberries also.

"That is not such a bad idea" he replied, smiling in the same way he usually did. She smiled also; at least she was sort of being useful. She had already told Yuki that she was not an outdoor girl so not to expect her to start digging in the soil. She preferred to stand on the sidelines and watch everything unfold.

"Yuki! We have a special visitor!" Shigure beckoned, how he got his voice that loud was beyond his belief yet Yuki knew he had to retire from tending the crops. What a bother. He stood up and smiled;

"I say we go inside and see what his is rambling about" She nodded, she wondered if it was anyone of high importance, a brother for example? Yuki never mentioned anything about any other immediate family so she had no idea. Nevertheless she was compelled to discover the identity of the mystery guest and hastily followed Yuki back to the house.

* * *

As Yuki and Rika entered the house they both perceived Shigure and Kyo standing at the entrance to the kitchen. It was as if they were waiting for royalty or something. Now Rika felt nervous and evermore insecure about this environment. Was this person really that important? Would they look down on her? She swallowed hard as her chest began to tighten. She looked into Kyo's soft amber eyes to find an answer but she found something else, something she was unsure of.

"Rika-" Shigure muttered, grinning like a Cheshire cat. A slight panic entered her system. Why the hell was he smiling like that?

"-there is a very special guest that wants to meet you"

"Meet… me?" she stuttered on her words. Why would anyone want to meet her? She was nobody in this household apart from Yuki and Kyo's friend at college, it's not like she had any other connection. This situation seemed to last forever and every second that ticked on made her fidget on the spot. She started to pull at the hem of her skirt to deter her mind from the mystery visitor, what if he/she was actually horrible? What is he/she made a comment on how she looked? She could not bear to go through that incessant torture again. Kyo remained mute, it was obvious he knew who the guest was and refused to utter a word, much to Rika's dismay. Shigure waved his hand in the direction of the kitchen and informed;

"Our guest is waiting in the kitchen, please don't be shy Rika. I can assure you they won't bite-" he chuckled at his own comment, making Yuki give him a cold glare to shush him down. He complied and looked away. Rika took steady steps towards the kitchen door. The way everyone was reacting it was as if the Queen was in there or the Pope. Every step made her chest tighten; it was as if she knew she did not want to meet this stranger. Like the stranger would foreshadow bad events for things to come. No, she was obviously being stupid. She had to do this and carefully she twisted the door handle and pushed the door to.

* * *

A pair of large azure eyes met her dark orbs and for that moment her heart sank like a sinking ship at sea. Just who was this person? Her long brown hair clung effortlessly around her petite shoulders and her face portrayed nothing but kindness. Rika wished she could trick her own features in doing the same; this could be only but one person. She knew her heart was right from the start but now it was too late. The girl smiled at Rika, showing how pure she actually was. It was obviously Tohru, the one Kyo and Yuki had conversed about. It was not too surprising that Kyo had fallen in love with her. She was slim, quite attractive and obviously bled pure kindness within every vein in her body. Rika was the exact opposite to her, how could they get along? Would it even be possible?

"Hello Rika, I am Tohru Honda, pleased to meet you-" she bowed down at her introduction which made Rika almost want to start running. What was with these god damn formalities? She had not been bought up to bow in front of people or address people in a different manner.

"I am Rika, likewise-" That was a start, not the best of things to say but it got the conversation going. Her dark eyes scanned Tohru intently, how was it even possible that some-one as pure and innocent as she was even existed in this cruel world? It seemed almost surreal but it was real, she was standing right before her very eyes. Tohru giggled shyly;

"Yuki has told me all about you. Kyo has said some things too-"

"They have?" Rika enquired. What idle gossip had the two boys been passing about? She wanted to know, she hoped it was nothing but praise. Tohru nodded and smiled once more;

"Yes, Yuki assured me I would like you and that you were really nice and you seem really nice. I hope we can be friends!" Rika mentally kicked herself. Was this girl for real? No, seriously she considered leaving right about now but her feet were glued to the spot. The whole atmosphere was beginning to make her nauseous. At least she said that she 'seemed really nice' whatever that was meant to mean.

"Thanks-" Rika answered, not really knowing what to say back to the comment.

"Please, sit down. I was just going to make lunch for everyone. We can talk in here while I prepare the food so we can get to know each other more" Tohru suggested as she walked slowly over to the cooking utensils. That was one thing Rika loathed, cooking. Man, Rika and Tohru really were on opposite sides of the spectrum. Even though Rika mentally tore Tohru to pieces, Tohru actually was not vindictive in any way to her, no matter what she looked like. She made no judgment or even enquired about her dress sense. That was a bonus point to her.

* * *

Meanwhile behind the door Shigure pressed his ear firmly against it, listening in the conversation unfolding. He was so nosey at times. Yuki folded his arms in annoyance;

"I sometimes cannot believe we are even related-"

"Yuki, I am merely doing what you would do but only I have the guts to. We all want to know if the meeting is going well, am I right?" Shigure asked, while still trying to listen in on the girl's talk. Kyo sighed and leaned against the wall;

"To be honest I don't frikkin' care. Let's just leave them alone until they are done and we will ask them later" Yuki's cold mysterious eyes diverted their gaze to the whining orange top. He immediately got defensive and blurted out;

"What the hell you staring at you damned rat?" Yuki mused;

"I am not quite sure, the labels fell off-" Kyo clenched his fist and waved it in anger;

"You want a piece of me you little rodent?" Yuki chuckled and allowed his arms to fall by his sides;

"Don't start this again you stupid cat; you know that every time we fight you lose. Just accept it"

"Be a frikkin' man and fight me!"

"Now, now children!" Shigure beckoned, deciding it was best to move away from the door in case the girls could hear the commotion. He stood in between the two teenagers, preventing any fisticuffs from starting.

"Look, if you want to cat fight take it outside. I do not want my house to be destroyed again-" Both Yuki and Kyo turned away from each other, obviously annoyed with both each other and Shigure. Kyo's fuse was terribly short and it would only take one more thing and he would explode and the consequences would be horrendous. He needed air, space and time away from the cause of his anger, from Yuki. Silently, without any more profanity being issued he trudged up the stairs away from the commotion and away from Yuki. It was the best option considering he needed to think of how he would confess to Tohru.

* * *

Rika and Tohru both shared the duty of cooking the food. Surprisingly Rika did not mind but she did insist on doing light duties, such as passing plates, ingredients, stirring etc. Even though they had spent quite some time in preparing the meal Rika had no idea what the food actually was. Tohru was happily humming to herself as she blissfully continued in her duty. She had not cooked in this kitchen in such a long time, it bought back good memories.

"So, Tohru do you miss not being here?" Rika asked, now settling her figure on one of the counters.

"Of course, every day I miss being here. I miss Shigure and his pervy ways, I miss Yuki always looking out for me and being kind and supportive and I miss Kyo-" She stopped. Her azure eyes looking at the dough that she was preparing in front of her. It was as if mentioning Kyo bought back something painful. Rika thought that this was the best time to get information out of her. Her dark eyes concentrated on the fragile framework of Tohru;

"What about Kyo? Did something… happen between you two?"

"Oh no, nothing like that-" she beamed once again and continued kneading the dough as if nothing had occurred. Rika detected it though and she was sure something was definitely wrong. She was not stupid to buy that.

"What then?" Rika pursued, feeling her chest tighten the more she asked about Kyo. Why was that? She wanted to know, she wanted to see if Tohru actually liked Kyo in the same way or if it was one sided love. That would not please him if that were the case. Tohru explained;

"Well, there was a time when I really liked Kyo, as in more than friends but I always thought he would say something to me but he never did. When I left here to go to my Granddad's he could of said something then but he did not, it was as if he did not care and it really hurt me Rika. I guess, I still like Kyo and being here with him is still so difficult because I know he does not like me the same way-" Rika pondered, this was some dilemma and she was obviously going to have to patch things up. She smiled, would she actually tell Tohru that Kyo actually felt the same way? Maybe it would be beneficial if she spoke to Kyo first but she needed a diversion to get away. Something plausible.

"Hey Tohru, I won't be long I just need to use the bathroom"

"Sure no problem-" she chirped happily still kneading the dough for the bread she would bake very soon. Rika smirked as she left the kitchen, it was the perfect solution and now she could go, find Kyo and tell him.

* * *

As she left the kitchen it was deathly quiet, it seemed both Yuki and Shigure had made themselves scare for now but where was Kyo? She thought, if she was Kyo were would she be? On the roof? In his room? Both of those places he could inhabit right now and she would have to check both of them in sheer hope of finding the elusive orange top. As her feet came into contact with each step her heart started to ache which seeped pain into her pores and joints making each step more painful than the last. Why was this happening? This always happened when something involved Kyo and she had no idea why. Did her body detest him that much? As she continued up the stairs she concluded to herself it was far more than that, her dream had said it all to her. It was there in black and white. Hastily she peeked into his room, the one she used the previous night. Much to her surprise he was actually there, lying on his bed, hands behind his head. She watched as his amber eyes diverted to her;

"Hey Rika, what ya doing up here? Thought you were talking to Tohru?"

"I was-" she muttered as she walked over and settled her figure on the bed. This in turn made Kyo decide to sit up also, it seemed awkward to lie around with company.

"Well, what happened?" He asked, obviously desiring answers. Rika's dark eyes traced the outlines in the bed sheet carefully as she thought about what she would say, she needed to word it carefully and needed to use tact. Kyo was after all hard to deal with.

"Well, she told me about the past. Times back here when she used to be with you-" He blinked curiously as if it were a shock to him. Rika's heart lifted for that moment, seeing how naïve he actually was behind his mask. It was a sight to behold.

"What exactly did she tell you?" he mumbled shyly. This would require a lot of energy and thought about what words to use. Deep within she wondered if she would even tell him the truth or if she would say nothing at all. That was the selfish side that resided within her cursed frame. Upon looking into those soft amber eyes she could not be vindictive, she wanted him and Tohru to be happy no matter what she felt, if she even felt anything.

Images flashed across Rika's mind as she tried to explain the situation, images from her dream. These mental images were sure to interfere with what she was saying. Images of him kissing her returned and now this situation had turned on its edge, now she felt the shy one and wanted to run out of the room right now. It was too late however.

"Ummm… she said that-" the images returned "-she said that _she dreams of kissing you and doesn't know why and wonders if you dream the same_ and-" Shit, what had she done? She had just told him what _SHE_ in fact wanted and instead of saying Tohru's feelings she had actually confessed her own. She watched as he blinked a few times, obviously confused. This situation was choking her, strangling her almost and she wanted out of this now. What had caused her to confess? Her stupid over active imagination?

"Are you being serious Rika?" Kyo questioned, his eyes directly burning into her. She felt so insecure that she longed for the ground to open up and swallow her now. Anything was better than this embarrassment. How would she get out of this mess? She started to fidget, gently pulling at the bed sheet on his bed in apprehension. Kyo's eyes remained focused on her countenance and she could feel herself begin to perspire, she was running out of time. Was it better to tell the truth?

"Actually-" Rika felt herself say "That was not entirely right-"

"Oh-" Kyo replied, slightly hurt by the comment. She swallowed hard; make it into a joke right? Oh yeah, like that would be beneficial for anyone. Could she really say it was actually her own feelings? Did she have the strength? Would he tease her about it? That was not likely but she knew she was wrong, she knew Kyo loved Tohru so why was her heart trying to change fate?

"What I meant to say was-" she began once more, her eyes glancing across to his once again and a lump congealed in her throat. _JUST SPIT IT OUT!_

"-Tohru is concerned that you don't like her because you never made an effort with her. The other thing I made up. Ha~ you should of seen the look on your face!" she retorted chuckling to herself, at least she got it out in the open without revealing any more than she needed to. Kyo did not need to know about her dreams or fantasies; it would not help anything right now. Turning it into a joke was the better option.

* * *

Kyo stood up suddenly, as if angered by her 'joke'. If that was the case she had made a terrible mistake.

"Why the hell did you joke about it? Man, you're so lame yanno!" A bullet into her heart, strike one.

"I mean, this is serious Rika and you take it all like a big joke. It is not a joke it is frikkin' serious!" Another bullet to the heart, strike two.

"Maybe if you got a boyfriend or some-one you cared about you would be more considerate and not so god damn childish and selfish!" One more bullet to the heart, strike three and _you're out!_She looked down at the bed, her fists tightened so her knuckles went white. This 'joke' was now more than that, those words hurt.

"You'll never understand me Kyo; do not even pretend that you will. You and I are so different it's almost surreal. Just because you have issues with your self confidence does not mean you can put it all on me. I was only trying to lighten the mood and you go all moody and shit-" Wow, that was a bit much. It needed to be said even if her heart was slowly tearing at the seams. Kyo's amber eyes portrayed a cold touch to her which made her insides almost die. If she had the heart to she would cry it all away but it was not achievable. She had cried too many tears throughout her years, she had no tears left.

"I am gonna go see Tohru before this turns into a big argument-" Kyo suggested, walking to his door. Just before his figure escaped the room he turned his head and looked directly at her figure. He muttered the words;

"Sort yourself out before you seriously regret something-" He was gone, as if he was not even here and she was left in the room all alone. A range of emotions filled her being, anger, hate, sadness, guilt. All her own fault, if only she could keep a lid on her wavering emotions this would not of happened in the first place. She put her head in her hands, finally feeling the pain from her heart through every cell that inhabited her body. It crucified her entirely and she felt like there was no way out of this. It was fate that Kyo and Tohru would be together and no matter what she did it would not change matters. She was nothing but a shadow in comparison to her and she would soon become un-noticed as she was so accustomed to. It was just the way the cookie crumbled and this time it was her turn to break.

* * *

_**(Nooooo, Awwww I love Kyo and Rika :'( they are so damn cute together but fate works in mysterious ways. Let's hope everything turns out for the best. Pleaaaase review and thanks to everyone who enjoys reading this. You really inspire me to write)**_


	10. Break Apart Her Heart

_**(Disclaimer I do not own Fruits Basket, you knew that already right? Poooor Rika! She is like my baby, I made her LOL. Hopefully she gts her happy ending. Review please!)**_

Chapter Nine: Break apart her heart

**Rika's POV**

_What was I thinking? Man, I should really think about the consequences before my actions next time. This is such a mess and I just know things will never be the same now. I am such a jerk, to think I joked about it! I know Kyo loves Tohru and I just had to make things worse. Typical me._

_ I cannot go downstairs just yet, I need time to think, to decide what to do next. How can I explain this mess? Should I actually confess that it was not a joke and that in fact I described my own wants? Nah, not a good option. I have to re-consider my actions carefully before I lose him all together. I don't want that, after all Kyo is like the male equivalent of me. He is more important to me than anyone has ever been. I do not understand this feeling that consumes me, the emotion that causes my erratic behaviour. It only occurs around Kyo and I am starting to get annoyed with it. Why can't it just behave for once and allow us to have a blissful friendship? Maybe, we can't. Maybe it is too late for that now._

_ My head hurts from all this thinking, I need a lie down. Yeah, that would be the perfect solution. Maybe if I rest and sort out my head things will all be clearer. I really am clutching at straws here. Like what the hell do I really know about orange top? He is so annoying sometimes; he really knows how to get me worked up. Maybe it is not on purpose, it could just be because we are so alike but even so, even if I get worked up I do not feel anger. It is definitely something else, not quite sure of it yet. It is something that actually makes me feel alive, that I have a purpose at last. If I start to be honest if myself then I can be honest with Kyo. I can tell him the main issue with my own head, my heart._

* * *

Rika held her head in her hands, all this thinking was getting her nowhere. She had obviously hurt Kyo in her 'joke' and it would awkward to explain the issue. She felt as if she wanted to cry but she could not. Something stopped her. She had got her self defence mechanism within her body down to a T. If she was hurt her heart would harden and she would not care, she would feel nothing. It helped a lot during the years of bullying and torture but now her defence was weakening and Kyo was obviously the cause of it. She had no idea why he affected her so much; it was not as if he was anything special. He was just a teenage boy just like Yuki and the others.

Her chest felt tight and it was becoming harder to breathe. Realisation was starting to sink in, that time on the roof where she felt uneasy about being around him, the time at the lake when things were just too beautiful, too perfect and also that dream. It was all starting to add up and the thought terrified Rika. The thought that she could actually be falling for the orange top, the one who she could not have.

"Why does it have to be this way?" she mumbled to herself, her dark eyes tracing the outlines in the carpet. It was some predicament to be in, how would she be able to deal with it? Kyo was going to confess to Tohru soon and TODAY and then she would be left out again, the outsider with no-one. All alone. She dug her fingers harder into her mass of dark hair as thoughts of Kyo with Tohru cursed her mind, images of him kissing her, being with her and being happy with her. Why could did he have to be with Tohru and not her? Was she not good enough? Not pretty enough or normal enough? Rika did not dislike Tohru, it was not her fault for any of this, and it was not her fault that Rika felt something for Kyo. It was Rika's fault for allowing it to happen in the first place. She should have tried harder to resist by keeping away from him. It was too late now, way too late and now she had to think of what to do next.

_~…I heard once that eyes reflect the soul, but when I look at you why don't I feel it's true? You always listen, but you never hear. You always talk when there's nothing to say. But, I believe that there's so much said in empty words…~_

* * *

Kyo sat on the bottom step contemplating his next move, what to do next? Rika had really got to him back then but he did not mean to shout like that. He did not ever want to curse like that in front of her and he regretted it. Something inside told him she had lied, it was not a joke and perhaps it was something serious, a lot serious. He combed his fingers through his hair as he tried to make head or tails of the dilemma. What was wrong with Rika? On certain occasions she would go cold and clam up and not be herself.

"Kyo?" A voice was heard and Kyo turned in the direction. It was Shigure; he had re-appeared from his office with his countenance portraying a distinct sadness. Kyo's amber eyes diverted away, he really did not want to confide in the rambling dog right now.

"Kyo, I know something is wrong. What has happened?"

"It's nothing to do with you-" he returned coldly, trying to ignore his cousin. Things would be so much easier if he was not here, if he left and went back to his master. Things were so much easier back then. Shigure leaned against the wall;

"Now, now Kyo. You can't say that. I live here and if there are issues within my house I deserve to know. Is it between you and Rika?" Silence. He refused to answer. It was none of his business after all.

"It is isn't it? Do you perhaps like Rika?" Shigure pursued, seeing frustration stain Kyo's tanned complexion.

"It's none of your business you damned dog!" Kyo cursed, his amber eyes flickering to his for a moment before turning away again. Shigure merely left his presence; he knew he had hit a nerve with bringing her up into the conversation. The odds were that it was true. Kyo gently rubbed his eyes in frustration, why couldn't things be clearer and easier? One thing's for sure he was determined to confess to Tohru but for now he needed to calm down and think about what he would actually say to her.

* * *

After some time Rika came to a decision. She had finally realised within her head that she could not lose him, not to anyone and especially not to Tohru. She needed to make things clear and tell him, no matter what the consequences were this time. The thought of rejection crucified her and the image of his amber eyes portraying his disgust would definitely induce her to tears but she tried to ignore that for now. If she continued to think negatively things would not go as planned. She needed to be strong and believe in herself. What had she got to lose?

Rika stood up, feeling her legs become slightly weak. She ardently hoped that he would understand and at least be nice about it. She did not want to be shot down in flames and made out to be a complete fool. She started her walk towards the door feeling each step drain her completely of her willpower. She had to do this to keep her sanity and to finally understand a few things. As her dark figure escaped the room and she turned the corner of the hall her dark eyes depicted his figure at the bottom of the stairs. It was not a positive image, his body was leant forward and his head dropped downwards. Maybe it was her doing?

She swallowed hard, feeling her heart begin to race within her ribcage. Her feet would not aid her any longer, they refused to move closer to the orange top and she remained at the top of the stairs merely looking at him from afar. He had not confessed she hoped, if he did then her efforts would all be in vain. Clenching her right hand into a fist she mentally kicked herself into gear. _You can do this!_This time her feet complied slowly she started to walk down the stairs. Her foot came into contact with one step that gave a huge groan under the pressure, this in turn alerted Kyo and he turned around to face Rika. She froze; it was too late to go back now. Instinctively she mumbled;

"I came to apologise-" Maybe he would not accept the apology?

"It is okay-" he mumbled back, turning his head back to his original state. He did not even seem bothered. Rika swallowed hard once more, she needed to explain why she lied and make everything clear between them and she needed to do it now. As she walked closer to Kyo and settled her figure on the step just above. Quietly she decided to explain;

"I have some explaining to do-" Kyo refused to turn his eyes to her again. He replied;

"What do you mean?" Rika sighed, indicating all was not well. Her dark eyes traced every detail on Kyo, well the back of Kyo. Even if he despised her she still could not prevent her heart from beating an unusual and almost sickening rhythm.

"I was not joking about what I said, I lied-" she confessed, awaiting the curse once more. He did not curse; he merely turned his figure around so he could face her. His face scarred with apprehension and worry. He was obviously unsure about what she had spoken of. His amber eyes looking into her own.

"What the hell is that meant to mean?" he asked, his voice showing a hint of anger making her flinch slightly. This was going to go downhill, it was for sure.

"I meant-" she started, her eyes now looking away. "-that Tohru did not say those things about dreaming about you. I lied-"

"So you made it up?" Kyo interrupted, seemingly infuriated. Quickly she shook her head. He seemed to quell at her action, so if she did not make it up what was the problem?

"I did not make it up. I told you something that I… that I…" she stuttered, feeling like an idiot once more. "-that I dreamt of"

The pause seemed never ending after she confessed. It was like a nightmare that she could not awaken from. She felt her heart start to crumble inside her chest and turn to dust. Kyo's countenance portrayed a slight confusion and she was almost positive he would be disgusted or abhorred by it.

"So let me get this straight-" he started. "-you're telling me that in fact you dreamt of me and told me it was Tohru?" She nodded, feeling sorrier for herself.

"Why did you do that?" He asked. She could do nothing more than shrug, she had no idea herself. The images of the dream knocked her off track and hence why she confessed.

"I do not know, but it is true. I did dream of you and I guess I felt like an idiot for accidentally telling you-" He blinked curiously at her. Rika now allowed her dark hair to cover parts of her pale face in an attempt to hide away from the issue. This was awful, the pressure was so immense. Her mysterious dark eyes dared to look into Kyo's. When she did she did not see any hint of horror, only sincerity. He smiled.

"You are silly yanno, it is only a dream. No need to get paranoid about it-" Her heart almost stopped, did he not care? She weakly nodded to deter to fact that she wished he cared, she wished she got some sort of reaction out of him. This hurt too much. Why did it even exist in her heart? She felt the urge to tell him everything, about everything she felt. All about the feeling that he gave her, that whenever she was with him she felt free and that she could actually be herself.

"-But it is way more than just a dream Kyo-" she began, feeling a sadness swell inside. She knew it would make no difference between them. Nevertheless it was too hard to keep this as a secret. His eyes concentrated on her and it gave her some courage to confess.

"-Ever since we became friends things have been great. You make me happy and feel like I actually belong somewhere. It is weird but you mean a lot to me and no-one has ever had this effect on me before-" she clenched her fists once more, her eyes looking down, her heart aching as she muttered;

"-I guess... what I am trying to say is that I lo-"

* * *

"Kyo is that you?" came a small voice that disturbed her confession. Rika's eyes rose to the kitchen door to see Tohru standing there, her large azure orbs sparkling upon seeing him. _Too late._ Kyo looked across at Tohru and then back at Rika and then back to Tohru. This was some predicament.

"What was you saying Rika?" Kyo asked, his amber eyes scanning her countenance for answers. How could she tell him now? It was far too late for that, but she knew she had to show that it did not bother her because she was strong wasn't she? She force a smile and chuckled to deter him of the fact it was killing her;

"It doesn't matter, some other time aye? Here is your perfect chance to confess Kyo-" she mumbled before standing up and slowly heading up the stairs, out of sight out of mind. She did not flee too quickly; she wanted to hear the cursed confession.

"Tohru-" she heard it begin "-There is something I have wanted to say to you for a long time but I never had the guts to. I love you, I always have and always will and I wondered if you feel the same" Wow, that was a bullet to the heart. Was this what heartbreak felt like? Well it sucked major ass that was for sure.

"Kyo… I…" she heard Tohru start up "-I… love you too" As if by instinct Rika allowed her legs to run up the stairs and away from this, run away from everything. Her world was crashing around her once more and she could not prevent it this time.

* * *

**Rika's Pov**

I am so stupid, to think Kyo would ACTUALLY like me back when I knew for a fact that he loves Tohru. What the hell was I thinking? Am I that deluded? Well, now I know that there is no way in hell that Kyo and I will ever be together, and I just have to accept it, to force a smile and move on as usual.

I am so good at pretending, I have had to do it so many times and no-one will ever know. No-one will see me break, not now or ever. I do not break, I am stronger than that. I will give my support to the relationship and get over it eventually. I have to. At least Kyo will be happy with her and I guess that is some consolation prize. If he was unhappy then I suppose that would hurt me more. It hurts anyway but I will deal and I will learn to cope and move on. It is not the end of the world even if it feels like it is at the moment. I know if mom knew she would fuss about me and make me feel worse so I will not tell anything yet or ever if I can help it. I will get over this in my own time, even if every time I see him it almost induces me to tears.

I'll go back to being an outcast with no friends, no lovers but I will always have myself. I am not alone. I will never be alone, or afraid. I will try to be happy, or fake happy for however long this takes. I should have known that Kyo would never have affections for an outcast, for a freak, a monster of society. He would never love the girl who lost her smile~

* * *

_**(Awwww this chapter was to clarify Rika's emotions etc, next chapter will be more about plot. Please review and gives thoughts, opinions or whatever else. Thanks)**_


	11. A Dangerous Mind

_**(Disclaimer I do not own Fruits Basket, you knew that already right? Oh dear, poor Rika. Looks like Kyo has gone with Tohru. Please review!)**_

Chapter Ten: A Dangerous Mind

She knew that tomorrow at college would be gruelling, considering she would most likely see Kyo. Rika remembered when he walked her home after he confessed to Tohru, the whole way was exceedingly awkward and she did not know what to talk about. The only thing he spoke of was Tohru and that was the only subject to keep escaping his lips. She hated it but she would never show it, she was better than that.

"_I am surprised yanno" Kyo spoke as both he and Rika walked onwards to their destination. This was not the best of subjects to converse on but Rika knew that he would talk about Tohru, it was only natural. She just needed to do her best to put up with it._

"_Well I am not, after all you're a nice guy Kyo" Rika answered. It was so hard to keep up a decent conversation with him when all she longed for was the hold him the way Tohru would. It was unfair. His amber eyes gazed into hers which made her feel uneasy. Maybe he was completely oblivious to the fact she liked him. It was likely. He smiled;_

"_Thanks Rika, you're nice too. You should get yourself a nice boy yanno-" She mentally kicked herself. The only one she wanted was him but she knew she could not say that. It would make matters worse. Instead she bit inside her mouth and forced a smile. As if that didn't hurt?_

"_Thanks Kyo-" she muttered, feeling as if he had crushed her heart into smithereens. The walk continued and Rika felt as if the world was crashing down around her. It was all happening too fast._

* * *

She was back at home; she was safe and away from the trauma of having to see his face for a while, until morning. At least she would catch the bus in solitude and then it would give her time to get her act into gear, to show that she was okay. She was so good at pretend. Her mother noticed her odd behaviour also. Kyo had dropped Rika off at the bottom of her road as she insisted that it was too soon for him to meet her mother. He merely nodded and left and Rika never looked back. If she did her legs would most likely betray her and run after him. That was not going to happen.

"Rika sweetie would you like some dinner?" her mother sounded from the kitchen. Rika rested her head on her arms as she sat at the table in the living room. All she wanted was to be left alone.

"Nah, not hungry-" she replied. Obviously she was lying but she did not need the hassle. All she wanted was a relaxing bath and a good night's sleep to forget about it all. She wondered if she would be able to sleep at all after everything. It did not seem possible but she had to, after all she needed to be awake at 6am to be in time for college. What a drag. Rika's mother poked her head from behind the living room door, her face scarred with worry as she asked;

"You feeling under the weather darling?" Rika weakly nodded;

"Yeah, guess I am. I'm going to have a bath soon and go to bed"

"Okay-" her mother said, smiling. "-just let me know if you get hungry"

She left and Rika sighed, being here was starting to grate on her nerves, actually everything was. The slightest thing would anger her or frustrate her and she knew the reason why. It was his doing, it was his entire fault. She slowly stood up; a bath seemed like an excellent idea. She needed to relax and unwind and forget about it all. Slowly she walked towards the door and out of the room.

Trudging up the stairs she felt guilty about shutting her mother out of her life like that, she was after all only trying to be supportive but it was not enough. Rika needed more than that, she needed some-one she could trust, some-one to talk to, and some-one to give her a good time. It clicked, she knew just the person who would be able to help her with forgetting Kyo, and even if it was the last person on Earth she would ask. How would she contact him? As she stepped into the bathroom as placed the plug in the bath and started to run the water. This would give her an adequate amount of time to think of how to contact him. He would make sure she would forget about all this, even if he was the one she liked the least. She needed to do something and fast and this seemed like the best and only option. To contact Kakeru~.

* * *

Back at the Sohma residence Yuki was somewhat annoyed. He noticed Rika's odd behaviour as she left, she never even uttered a goodbye to any of them and he immediately knew that she was upset and refused to allow anyone to know. It infuriated him. Sadly Kyo was out, he was out with Tohru to discuss future plans so there was no-one to vent his anger out on. He was never the sort to get riled up so easily but for some reason Rika was dear to him, she was vulnerable and needed a friend to rely on. She had a tough life and this was the last thing she needed on top of all the bullying and torture she suffered. He wondered if talking to Shigure would ease things and so he walked into his office where he usually inhabited. Shigure noticed the intrusion and started;

"Oh hello Yuki, can I help you?"

"In fact, yes you can" he said, settling his figure into one of the spare chairs near the desk. Shigure leant forward on his desk, ready to have a good talk with Yuki. He could tell something was wrong. Spinning a pen between his fingers he asked;

"Is this about Rika?"

"Yes-" he answered honestly. There was no reason to lie about it, it was true. He was concerned about her and wanted to know if she was okay. Shigure sighed;

"What about her?"

"Well, I can't help but feel worried. I think she is upset about something because when she left she did not say goodbye to any of us which is so unlike her. I know something is wrong with her-" Yuki's dark eyes looked down, he had a knack for knowing if some-one was not acting their usual self. He wondered if orange top was the reason for her unhappiness. Shigure continued to spin his pen;

"Well, if you ask me I think that something happened between her and Kyo, after all they have spent a lot of time together. Did she seem off with Kyo too?"

"Yes-" Yuki answered. He wished that he could phone her to see if she was okay and maybe she would tell him what happened to make her feel so down and dismal.

"Well, that is obviously the reason then-" Shigure retorted, feeling important for once as Yuki never usually asked him for advice.

"How can I help Ms. Saito?" Yuki asked, almost desperate for advice. He needed to know, he was determined to cheer her up and not to let that stupid cat upset her. He had gone too far this time.

"Well-" Shigure mused. "-You could always ring her house phone and see if she is in and wants to talk? It's worth a try?"

Yuki placed a hand to his chin in thought, he wondered if she would appreciate his interference in her affairs or if she would shut him out of her life completely.

"I could try-" he concluded finally, trying to smile. Shigure nodded, happy that he had actually helped for once.

"Well, feel free to use the phone Yuki and tell me how things are" Yuki nodded and rose to his feet. He decided it would be beneficial to phone now; to get it out of the way otherwise this would only play on his mind. Hastily he retreated to the hallway and started his journey to the phone, to ring Rika and to enquire if everything was fine.

* * *

As she watched the water fill the bath Rika felt a slight sadness well up inside. The idea of trying to forget Kyo was torturing her, she did not want to do it, she wanted to always remember the memories but she did not think it was possible to be happy whilst remembering them. It had to be done. Her heart ached with the idea of being in some-one else's arms apart from Kyo's, she did not want anyone else but him. She realised that now, but he did not want her. He always wanted Tohru and she could not change that. She heard her mother's voice;

"Rika, some-one's on the phone for you!" Her dark eyes widened, could it be Kyo? Instantly she turned off the tap and rushed down the stairs. If it was Kyo then maybe she could explain about everything, everything she felt, thought and wanted and then perhaps he would understand. At least then there would be a release for her. As her eyes depicted the image of her mother holding out the phone she could not help but smile. Her mother handed Rika the phone and left to go back to the kitchen. Slowly placing it to her ear she mumbled;

"Hello?"

"Ms. Saito is that you?" Rika recognised the voice, it was Yuki. It wasn't so bad to hear Yuki's voice down the phone, at least he rang up.

"Yes, it is me-" she answered, tucking a piece of her hair behind her ear. She wondered why he had chosen to contact her. Maybe it was to ask why she did not even say goodbye when she left.

"Are you okay I got the impression you wasn't when you left the house-" He asked down the phone and Rika swallowed hard. Yuki had no idea to what problems she had, he was of course oblivious. She did not have the heart to confess her real emotions and feelings. She needed to make out she was okay to stop him from worrying about her.

"I am fine, just tired" She lied. She hated lying to people but she was too scared to tell them the truth about the ordeal. As far as she was concerned it was her business and no-one else's. Yuki paused before answering;

"I don't buy it Ms. Saito. I know something is wrong. Is it because of Kyo?" She bit into her lip, why did he always hit the nail right on the head?

"Why do you think Kyo would upset me?" she asked, struggling to keep composed. Just conversing about him was vexing. Yuki's voice filled her ears,

"I just have a gut feeling that is all. Ms. Saito I would appreciate it if you would confide in me about what is troubling you. I promise you I would not tell anyone, I am here to help you" She scuffed her foot across the carpet, why was she getting frustrated? Yuki was only doing what any kind, good-natured friend would do so why was she feeling the emotion of anger?

"Yuki, seriously I am fine. Don't worry" She assured him down the phone. She decided that when she felt it was right she would confess everything to him but not just yet.

"Okay, I will see you tomorrow. Have a good night and sleep well-"

"You too-" and with that the conversation ended.

* * *

Meanwhile at the store Kyo and Tohru were blissfully unaware. Tohru flit between shelves to get groceries for dinner while Kyo followed behind, not really interested. His mind was on other things. He noticed the awkward tension between both himself and Rika when he walked her home. It was as if being around him hurt her. He had noted that it was ever since he had confessed to Tohru. Now he was beginning to wonder whether or not he had actually hurt Rika. Guilt rose within, he never wanted to hurt her, he never realised that by confessing to Tohru meant she would get hurt. He never knew. While they continued shopping he reminisced about a few hours earlier, when she told him about the fact she dreamt of him and then she was going to say something else before Tohru interrupted. Just what was that? He longed to know what it would have been and he pondered if he would ask Rika about it.

"Kyo, what else should I get?" Tohru asked, showing all the items she had collected in the basket. He had no idea and merely shrugged. Tohru's large azure eyes gazed into his and she enquired;

"You feeling okay Kyo?"

"Yeah, just tired-" he lied. He did not want to say the reason for his odd mood was due to another girl. That would make things very awkward between him and Tohru and he had only just confessed his feelings towards her so he was not prepared to throw it all away. She merely smiled and gently stroked his arm. He could not help but tense up slightly at her touch, something was different. The way she touched his arm differed greatly to how Rika used to. When she used to playfully hit him or when she rested her head on his arm it felt different, it felt soothing. This made him tense and uneasy. Tohru lead the way throughout the store with Kyo following, his mind not on the job at hand but on Rika. He wondered if she was okay, if she would sleep well tonight, if she would dream of him again. A small smile scarred his lips as he somewhat hoped she would dream of him, after all he had dreamt of her.

* * *

Rika felt the water soothe her as she relaxed in the bath. It was as if it were washing away all the pain of the day's events and replacing them with nothingness. Her dark eyes flickered open, tomorrow would be odd. She wondered if Kyo would be off with her and not be his normal self around her, considering he had a girlfriend now. There were things they could and could not do.

For one, they could not spend too much time together anymore or play fight or anything of the sort and she could not dream of him anymore. It was not as if she intended to in the first place. It was sort of accident. There was one thing she could do though, she could daydream. It was so much better than reality because there she had Kyo, she was happy and everything was perfect. Just like how she always wanted it. It was a shame that right now fantasy was better than the reality that surrounded her.

"Why can't things be different?" she mused to herself as her dark eyes flickered open once more. The water caressing every inch of her body as she thought about it. She knew that there was definitely a spark there, Rika and Kyo were similar but there was some sort of chemistry, she was sure of it. Her mind now lingered to tomorrow, about what she would do if he enquired about her erratic behaviour. She would lie as she knew she would have to and maybe tomorrow she would spend time with others in her class, Kakeru for example.

* * *

Yuki paced up and down the hall, thinking of what solutions were available to him now. He needed to think of something that would take her mind off Kyo or the thing that was troubling her. Even though his idea was not the best he knew one solution. The person who annoyed him to no end but could always cheer him up if he was upset so of course he would be able to do the same with Rika. He decided to phone him while he was in the vicinity of the phone itself. Hastily he began to dial the number and waited for him to pick up;

"Hello this is the Manabe residence, please leave your heartfelt message after the annoying beep" Yuki sighed, why did Kakeru always do that?

"Kakeru it's me-" he said, placing a hand to his forehead in annoyance. Suddenly he heard his brash voice fill his ears;

"Now why does YunYun phone me? Does he need my undivided attention?"

"Not quite-" he muttered, already getting annoyed with him and he had not even been on the phone for five minutes. Kakeru paused and then asked;

"Well what then?"

"I guess I need a favour-" Yuki could not even believe what he was requesting, he already knew that Kakeru liked Rika and what his intentions were but at least he would be able to cheer her up, that would be the main issue.

"YunYun needs a favour from me? Wow, I feel like Christmas and my birthday has come at once!"

"Stop with the sarcasm Kakeru-" Yuki said in a cold manner which immediately hushed the other end of the phone. After some time he started again.

"It's about Rika-" Yuki had a distinct feeling that he would regret his decision to get Kakeru involved but nevertheless it was the only option he could think of right now. Kakeru almost beamed down the phone;

"What is wrong with her? Does she need me?"

"Don't get your hopes up; she is upset and needs cheering up. I was wondering if you could help-" There was another pause as if he was actually thinking about it. It was obvious he would help anyway; after all he did have a soft spot for Rika.

"Oh, no problem. I can do that. You want me to start tomorrow?"

"Yes, but please do not make any perverted comments. Just be nice and make her feel happier" Yuki asked, he did not need Kakeru to induce her to feel any worse than she did already.

"Do not fret Yuki, since when do I ever let you down? I'll be on my best behaviour I promise"

"You better be-" he warned. Now the thought of college tomorrow was nauseating. He could just imagine what Kakeru would be like.

"No sweat Yuki. See you tomorrow"

"See you tomorrow-" He placed the phone down and sighed. He wished that Kakeru stopped calling him pet names; it was embarrassing and very annoying. Yuki now wondered if this would help Rika, if he would be able to aid her in forgetting about Kyo and everything else. Little did he know that he had made the biggest mistake of his life...

* * *

_**(Oh no what will happen? Find out in the next chapter. Please review and you can also give your views about what you think will happen, and see if you're right. Thanks)**_


	12. Mending The Misery

_**(Disclaimer I do not own Fruits Basket, you knew that already right? I wonder what will happen next? Poor Rika, she is having a tough time right now. Review please!)**_

Chapter Eleven: Mending the Misery

**Rika's POV**

_Man, I never realised how long the bus journey to college ACTUALLY was. It seems like I have been on here forever and not getting anywhere. Oh well, at least mom gave me her spare phone so I can listen to music to save me from boredom. How I love my mom sometimes. I just have a distinct feeling that today is going to be weird, seeing Kyo and all. Maybe I should keep away from him? Would that help? Nah, probably not, then he would definitely know something was wrong with me. Perhaps I could hang out with Yuki and his friends, yeah that seems like a good option. At least it would not seem that I was upset or anything. One thing I have got to watch out for is that Kakeru guy; he is so weird and creepy. Yuki did mention he had a crush on me, god knows why. Has he got shit in his eyes? Or a guide dog? No idea, one thing's for certain he's too weird for my liking but perhaps I could learn to put up with him and try to be friendly. It might help matters and at least I know that Yuki will protect me. I am lucky to have him as a friend, even if I ignored him and never said goodbye yesterday. I regret that and I will apologise today. Ah, finally the bus is pulling into the station. Now all I have to do is get the next bus to college and the day can finally start. The joys of life~_

* * *

Rika stepped off the bus and hastily rushed past a crowd of people to get to the next stop. The next bus was due soon, it was 8:07am and it was due at ten past. She needed to be quick about it. Looking left and right she saw the coast was clear and walked across the main road. Her mind thought about the events that could occur throughout the day, seeing Kyo, ignoring him, not sitting next to him and other extreme sports of the same fashion. It would go down like a sack of potatoes. As she walked down the street she was almost positive she saw a flash of orange in the distance between other dark heads. She hoped it wasn't him; it was too early in the morning for any of this. Was there another way of getting to college? No, that was the only bus that went past. As she walked at a slower pace she felt as if her heart was in her throat, trying to suffocate her completely and so far it was doing an excellent job. Suddenly she felt fingers gently brush against her arm which made her instantly turn around. Much to her surprise it was Haru. She smiled; at least he was okay to talk to.

"Why are you here on your own Rika?" he asked, his mysterious eyes looking into hers. She stopped walking and stood next to him. She could afford to miss this bus; at least the bus ride would be better without Kyo being there.

"I live further away from the college so I get two buses-" she answered tucking a piece of her black hair behind her ear. Haru put his hands in his pockets;

"Well, I can't have you going to college on your own like some loner. Wanna travel together? It might be better than going alone" Rika smiled, at least conversing with Haru wasn't vexing. She nodded;

"Sure, I would like that" He smiled back and they both walked towards the station to catch the next bus to college. As they neared the stop both their eyes perceived the bus pull in and the people get on. They wouldn't make it in time, there was no way. Rika was not bothered; at least she did not have to wait on her own for the next one. As they slowed down her eyes traced the outline of orange hair, it was definitely Kyo and he was getting on the bus by himself. Soon after that the bus left and Haru and Rika were left in the bus station, waiting for the next one.

* * *

**Kyo's POV**

_I know something is not right, I am not stupid. For one, Rika is normally here at this time yet she isn't today. It is because of yesterday I am sure of it. What the hell is her problem? I bet she won't even be in today which leaves me with all the frikkin work again and left with that damned rat! Maybe I should have stayed at home. It would be better than this, and it also looks like it's going to rain. Just what I need to add to matters. I just know this day is gonna be the worst day ever. I do wish Rika was here though, man its kinda lonely sitting on this bus with no-one to talk with. At least she was fun to be around, always laughing and stuff but now I just got a feeling that we won't be the same with each other. That is a shame, Rika is really nice and she actually means a lot, even if she is hurt right now. I hope she will talk today and if I see that damned Yuki trying his luck or whatever I swear I'll brain him! No way is he getting the upper hand on me anymore or taking advantage of bad situations. I won't let him. Even if it resorts to violence, I don't care. It's weird, even though she isn't my girlfriend I still feel like I need to protect her. I guess it's my instinct or something. Man, I hope this bus hurries up to college, I am starving and it is too cold to hang about. I also hope Rika is there when I get there; I really wanna talk with her and sort this mess out. It's pissing me off to no end and today I need to find out what the hell is wrong._

* * *

Rika and Haru sat on the benches in the station; it was going to be another ten minutes for the next bus so talking to pass the time seemed like a good idea.

"We haven't got the tutor we normally have on a Monday, Thursday or Friday today yanno. We have got a different one-" He said, his eyes glancing across at Rika. At least she made an effort today to look presentable. She still had the black war paint around her eyes and her hair was jet black and perfectly straight but this time she wore a comical t-shirt with a chequered shirt over the top, unbuttoned with tight black jeans and high top trainers. Better than Monday.

"Oh, is that a bad thing? Is the tutor horrible?" she enquired, not wanting to comment about the way Haru was just staring at her.

"Well, not really just his lessons are boring. I always fall asleep-" he said, chuckling slightly. That was brilliant, a boring tutor which would induce everyone to go to sleep. At least Rika was not working with Kyo today. That was a relief. She smiled;

"Never mind, at least we don't have that much work to do if we fall asleep" He nodded and looked around. Crowds of people flowed endlessly through the station and Haru was looking out for familiar faces but none occurred as of yet. Rika felt slightly guilty about not getting on the same bus as Kyo on purpose, it was very selfish of her and she knew he would be on his own to college. It was the wrong thing to do. Haru disturbed her melancholy state by asking;

"So, you doing anything after college today?" Rika glanced across at him and then thought, she never did anything, and her life was actually pretty boring in comparison with others.

"No, why?"

"I was just wondering. I got nothing to do either so I wanted to know if you would wanna go somewhere with me?" She blinked curiously, was he asking her for a date? Her heart throbbed, she couldn't do that, she couldn't hurt Kyo's fragile image that was burned into her memory. Hastily she replied;

"Thanks but I really can't-"

"I thought you said you had nothing to do tonight?" he enquired, his dark eyes staring directly at her countenance. She swallowed hard, well sure if she went on a date with him it would do wonders for her social status but it would not hide the fact she only had feelings for Kyo. She sighed; maybe it could just be as friends.

"Okay, but just as friends?"

"Sure, no problem" he said, smiling. At least he would help her forget about yesterday's drama. Maybe spending time away from Kyo was the best medicine she could have and perhaps Haru would be able to help after all.

* * *

Haru eyes diverted their gaze back to the mass of people, he was positive he saw some-one he recognised and so waited for the crowds to disperse. Once they had, he depicted the image of none other than Kakeru, walking towards the bus station. Rika noticed also and mentally kicked herself, now this was going to be awkward. Haru signalled with a wave of his hand for Kakeru to join them and he complied. He walked quicker to the stop. Rika sighed; she hoped the bus would be here soon, it was becoming a tedious chore of waiting.

"Hey Haru-" Kakeru said, smiling.

"Hey, you on your own this morning?"

"Yeah, Machi left early to get some books from her friends so I had a very lonely journey up here-" Kakeru answered, now noticing Rika sitting beside Haru, her dark eyes refusing to look at him. He knew what Yuki had said was right, she was upset and it was his job to cheer her up. He decided to start now and so walked up to her.

"Hey Rika, how are you this fine morning?" Her dark eyes glanced up at his countenance and she shrugged;

"I am fine, you?"

"I feel as if I have the joys of spring" Kakeru commented, smiling in an attempt to create a smile on her face but he received nothing but a scowl. Haru interrupted;

"Kakeru, she isn't being her usual self, just give her some space" Rika momentarily glanced across at Haru and smiled, at least he knew how to keep the sanity within her. Kakeru nodded and remained silent until the bus arrived.

* * *

Whilst on the bus Rika decided it would be more favourable to sit beside Haru instead of Kakeru, one it was safer and two Haru would not enquire about issues that were troubling her if she did not want to converse about them. He had a lot of respect. Haru wasn't stupid however; he knew something had occurred yesterday.

"Rika, you wanna tell me why you have a face like thunder?" She looked across at him and then back to the window.

"It's nothing, I'll be fine-"

"Did something happen back at Yuki's?" he continued, his voice full of sincerity and he desired was to help her out. The way she was reminded him of Rin and that was perhaps the reason why he was concerned.

"I guess it did-" Rika mumbled, her eyes refusing to acknowledge the fact he was sitting right beside her. -"But I don't want to talk about it yet"

"Okay-" he said and for the rest of the journey they sat in silence. It was the only thing that he could do, he needed to give her time as time was a great healer of wounds and eventually when she had the courage she would tell him her woes and it would all become clear. For now, his duty was to try to make her feel some comfort.

A few seats behind them sat Kakeru, his eyes burning into the back of Rika's dark hair. He was thinking, thinking of how to make her feel better, how he could get her to think of positive things instead of being in the pits of despair and gloom. He was meant to be so good at cheering up people, so why was he useless when it came to Rika? He sighed, placing a hand to his head. Yuki was relying on him and he needed some kind of plan to ensure she felt better but considering he hardly knew her it was going to be a struggle. He decided the bus journey would give him an adequate amount of time to think and so remained mute for the journey, much to the silent surprise of Haru and Rika.

* * *

As the first class commenced Rika had made it her sole priority not to sit next to Kyo, his eyes portrayed sadness but she could not let it affect her. She sat beside Haru, it was safer there, and at least she would be in peace. Kyo sat just behind her beside Momiji who also knew Rika was not behaving in her usual manner. Rika could tell that Kyo was confused about how she was behaving, in his head he had not done anything wrong; he was oblivious to it all. When she passed him before going to class her eyes beheld a cold interior, a fake front that she needed to put up to protect herself. She knew he wanted to talk to her but she could not allow it, his voice would only make her heart throb violently and then the realisation would sink in once more. As they all were settled comfortably in their seats the tutor began his monotonous lecture;

"Okay, today we are going to talk about how to pitch a presentation. It is vital in the Media Industry and instead of listening to me babble on I will show you a video of some-one pitching a presentation. I want you all to make notes and discuss at the end of the video what was good and what did not work so well-" Rika sighed, was this what Haru was talking about? The boring side of it? She could feel her eyelids becoming heavier already and they had only just started. Her ears perked up to the conversation that was taking place behind her, between Kyo and Momiji;

"What's wrong with Rika, Kyo?"

"I dunno, she won't even look at me or talk to me. I dunno what I have done wrong-"

"Maybe you could talk to her and ask her?"

"Nah that would probably make things worse-"

"Kyo, you have to try" She heard a sigh, it was obviously from Kyo. Her arms received goose bumps; she loathed it when people conversed about her behind her back, even if it was not in a negative fashion. The conversation was hushed as the video started to play, there was a woman with an extremely annoying voice, talking about how to pitch a presentation and it bored Rika to tears. Instead of actually listening to the presentation she started to make snide comments about her accent, or the way she was dressed and other things. It seemed to make the whole lesson more interesting.

* * *

On the other side of the classroom sat both Yuki and Kakeru. They were also not really paying attention to the video; instead they conversed about Rika and how to make her feel happier;

"Yuki I don't know what to do" Kakeru mumbled, just loud enough for Yuki to hear.

"Well, try and be nice. That normally works" Yuki answered, tapping his pen against the table. Kakeru paused and took a moment to think about it, it was a good idea but how would he go about that?

"Should I offer to buy her lunch or something?"

"You could try that-" Yuki replied. Kakeru smiled;

"Okay, I guess that is a start. So what do you think has caused her to feel so down?" Yuki sighed, he knew who it was, and it was almost instinct.

"It's Kyo's fault, I just know it. Ever since yesterday they have been off with each other" Kakeru glanced across at Kyo, he was resting his head on his arms on the table, his eyes staring at the back of Rika, as if he wanted to say something.

"So, you think that they had an argument or something?" Kakeru asked. Yuki shook his head;

"No, I believe that Rika had some feelings for Kyo and because he is now with Tohru it hurts and she can't cope with it. She doesn't want to tell anyone and come across as vindictive-"

"Ohhhhh~" Kakeru said loudly which induced the tutor to shout;

"Kakeru be quiet!" He complied and watched as everyone's eyes glared into him, including Rika. Once everyone turned away again the conversation began;

"So, Kyo basically rejected her?"

"No, I don't think he's aware of it" Yuki answered, he just knew Kyo so well. Kakeru pondered, what kind of comfort could he give if Rika liked Kyo? He could not just become a stand in.

"Now this is confusing me. Basically Rika likes Kyo but because he is with Tohru she is trying to ignore him to save her from feeling like shit?"

"In a way, yes" Yuki said, his eyes not really concentrating on the woman on the screen, it was all becoming a blur. Kakeru nodded and the conversation ended for now. He would try something to change how she felt, to make her feel better about the whole situation.

* * *

Rika sighed, this lesson just seemed to drag on and on, with part one of the video out of the way the tutor decided to play part two and the class groaned. It was incessant torture and she could not cope with it anymore. She could hear Kakeru's sarcastic comments from the other side of the room about the video and it made her smile at intervals but only for a moment. Suddenly she felt a piece of paper being pushed against her arm. She took it and looked at Haru, he was oblivious, and maybe he was asleep. It was someone else's doing but nevertheless she unfolded it and read it;

**Rika I know something is wrong with you. Can you just talk to me instead of ignoring me?**

She knew who wrote this, it was Kyo. If she replied she wasn't technically talking to him so she decided to write back. Hastily she used her paper for note making instead of using it for comments on the video. She folded it up and placed it on the desk behind her. Kyo took it, a hopeful look in his amber eyes as he unfolded the note;

_There is no point in talking about it. It's too late now, sorry :'(_

Kyo looked up at Rika; he wanted to know why it was too late and what was too late. Was it something really bad? He decided to write another and this continued for some time.

**What's too late Rika? Please tell me, I thought we were friends?**

_We can't be friends Kyo… just get on with your life and ignore me_.

**I can't do that Rika, you actually mean a lot to me and I can't just ignore this. Please just tell me.**

Rika refused to write back and sighed, it was better that he was oblivious to her feelings. She had been so close to allowing him to destroy her heart but luckily Tohru intervened and it gave her a new hope, another chance to redeem herself even if it did hurt. She knew this would not be the end of this, she knew he would continue to ask questions, wanting to know the reasons why she had said they couldn't be friends but she could not say, not now or ever. It wasn't fair on Tohru.

* * *

_**(Let's hope they get it sorted in the end aye? Reviews pleeeeeease and thank you for everyone who enjoys this fic.)**_


	13. Pain Inside

_**(Disclaimer I do not own Fruits Basket, you knew that already right? This is getting intense now! Please review!)**_

Chapter Twelve: Pain Inside

It was the end of the lesson and Rika was thankful it was over. She needed to leave quickly in case Kyo followed her to enquire about her notes. Quickly she got past Haru and almost ran out of the door. Haru stood still for a moment to think about what had just occurred, was that Rika who just went by? Behind him Kyo looked at Momiji.

"I am gonna follow her, I need to find out what her problem is"

"Okay, see you later" Momiji said smiling. Kyo quickly got round everyone and headed out of the door. He needed to be quick about this, Rika could be anywhere by now. He rushed down the stairs as fast as his legs would carry him. Why was he so eager to find out? He had no idea, all he knew was this was eating him up inside and he could not rest without knowing the answers. As he stood at the bottom of the stairs his eyes saw the toilet door slightly ajar. Sad thing was it was the girl's toilet. It was likely she was in there but he could not go in there, could he? Kyo clenched his hands into fists as he contemplated the thought of getting caught in the girl's toilets. Rumours would definitely start floating around but for some reason that did not seem to bother him. All he wanted was to talk to Rika and with that he hastily pushed open the door and went inside.

* * *

When he got inside he saw Rika leaning over the sink, her dark hair covering her face. She looked upset, as if she was crying. She had not detected him arrive it seemed and so for the moment he just watched her, the shadow of her former self. Her small figure was trembling slightly as she dug her fingers into her hair. Something was terribly wrong. To destroy the silence Kyo said;

"Rika, are you okay?" Suddenly her head rose and her dark eyes glared at Kyo, those eyes were full of sorrow and despair and she looked almost lost in this cruel world.

"What the hell are you playing at Kyo? This is the girl's bathroom!" She cursed; her voice shaky with the words she spoke. She hoped he wouldn't notice. Kyo sighed and his amber eyes looked downwards;

"I was worried about you. I had to see if you was okay and Rika why can't we be friends?" Again she dug her fingers harder into her hair as the realisation of him being here was starting to sink in, it was getting too much.

"It's unfair on Tohru-" she answered, her dark eyes diverting their gaze as she saw him move nearer to her. Her body became stiff as he edged nearer to her.

"What's unfair on Tohru? Rika you're not making any sense-"

"Just shut up will you!" She screamed out making his eyes widen in shock. Rika never usually shouted like that, she was such a quiet girl. Kyo felt a pain within his chest as he saw those eyes, devoid of emotion just like in his nightmare. It was horrible. Why had it come to be like this?

"Rika, please don't be like this. I dunno what's wrong with you"

"It's none of your business-" she said coldly, turning away from him once more. This whole scene was slowly tearing her heart to pieces and she hated it, she hated having to do this to him. Again he neared her and she could feel every muscle inside her body stiffen as he edged nearer. What was he playing at? This was making it worse. She backed away, she couldn't allow him to be near her, and it was torture to just see him let alone be in a small room alone with him. As she backed away her back hit into the wall and he stopped a few centimetres away from her. There was no escaping now it seemed, she had to face the music now, whether she liked it or not.

* * *

Meanwhile Yuki, Haru, Momiji and Kakeru walked down the stairs from class talking about Rika and Kyo's odd behaviour. They had no clue to where they went and were coming up with hypotheses on what was causing it.

"If you ask me-" Haru began "I think she just has woman problems-"

"It's more than that" Yuki interrupted. "I know it's to do with Kyo. It's so obvious" Kakeru sighed.

"I hate talking about this yanno, let's just go and get some food. I'm starving!" Momiji nodded, seemingly agreeing with Kakeru. Momiji always wanted food, he was always hungry. Yuki sighed;

"Fine but we need to get this sorted"

"I agree-" Haru joined in, hands in his pockets as they slowly walked past the toilet door. Kakeru pressed the button to open the door to the outside as he spoke;

"Well, we all need to think of something or a way to make this situation better" They all nodded and Momiji seemed thoughtful. He put his opinion across;

"Maybe it's to do with love?"

"Love?" all three of them said in unison, almost shocked at what Momiji suggested. He nodded, as if it was the only reason for this absurd behaviour. After sometime they all looked at each other as if they were actually considering that a possibility and as they left the building they were completely oblivious to the fact Kyo and Rika were in the toilet and afterwards things would be harder to fix than it seemed.

* * *

Rika swallowed hard, why was Kyo acting like this? It was making it harder to deal with, why couldn't he just leave her alone to suffer in silence? He placed his fist against the wall just beside Rika's shoulder which made her heart start to thunder inside her chest. The cold look in her eyes had faded and now all Kyo saw was a vulnerable and weak girl who needed him, she always needed him. That was the reason why she tried so hard to push him away.

"Why do you try to push me away Rika-" he asked, his voice slightly different to what she was used to, it left goose bumps along her arms and made her feel tingly and unnecessary. How did he have this hold on her? She mumbled;

"Because I have to. If I don't then-"

"Then what?" He interrupted, moving closer to her as she attempted to get away. She was stuck between a rock and a hard place, more commonly known as Kyo and a wall. This was some predicament. Her eyes looked away, trying to ignore the fact that Kyo was too near for comfort now.

"Then I won't ever be able to move on-" She could feel herself starting to crumble away, she was becoming weak and losing the willpower to fight but she could not give up, if she did all her dignity would be gone. Her eyes now looked at his countenance which expressed confusion and hurt and for that mere second she wished that she could just wrap her arms around him and hold him forever. It was not a possibility though, he was Tohru's not hers. Kyo responded;

"I don't understand Rika, why can't you just tell me what's on your mind?"

"I want you to leave now" she mumbled, hoping this would all go away and fast. She did not have the energy for this anymore. It was impossible to ignore the issue within her mind; it was obvious she liked Kyo a lot more than she originally planned. Again Kyo leaned closer to Rika making her heart violently ache inside her, she felt as if she would pass out or induce a heart attack to consume her. She closed her eyes, he was so close to her, she could feel his breath on her face and she was feeling faint.

"I am not going anywhere-" he whispered to her and her ears began to burn furiously. This was wrong, this should not even be happening. He was Tohru's so why was he here? Why was he so close to her, giving her feelings that she never even knew existed inside her?

Her eyes refused to lock their gaze with his; she refused to believe that he was here and that he was just out of reach. That if she just outstretched her arms he was hers and she could hold him the way she wanted. She could not and would not, not if she could help it. She tried the talking bit again;

"Kyo, please just leave. You're making this harder for me to deal with-" Again the only sound that filled her ears was her own heartbeat, her cursed heartbeat. She hoped no-one came in and saw this, she would feel like such a fool if anyone witnessed this scene.

"I just wish you would tell me why you try to avoid me when I know you don't want to. I can see it in your eyes, you might be able to lie to yourself but you can't lie to me-" He muttered and she swallowed hard. What was he saying? Did he know that she liked him? Even so, this was making it harder to deal with. Her heart was almost at breaking point as it was.

Her head kept down and her eyes refused to look up at him. She could not bear the torture of gazing into those amber eyes, to feel the urge for more than just friendship, to want to kiss him just like she did in her dream, to feel his arms wrap around her, to be his. Images flooded her mind and she bit the inside of her mouth in frustration. If only she confessed earlier then maybe she would have been his but it was too late for that. It had already been done.

The silence was deafening and Rika hoped that the ground would open up and swallow her there and then to escape this blurred reality. Every muscle in her body was beginning to grow weaker and weaker. She even contemplated confessing to Kyo about her feelings but she knew that would not affect the outcome.

"I just don't want to see you with her-" she answered honestly, feeling like a selfish child in her response. Kyo blinked curiously at the honesty she had given and replied;

"Why is that?"

"Because-" she started, feeling her body tremble as she spoke. "-it should be me"

Suddenly a strong force sent her surging backwards against the wall until her eyes flashed open and saw Kyo almost in direct contact with her. She knew she should have kept her mouth shut. He was so close to her, she could almost feel his heartbeat against her chest and the warmth he emitted from underneath his t-shirt. They were so close, noses almost touching, she could feel his breath on her face, she could see the sparkle in those amber eyes and for a moment it was heaven. It felt as if her heart was melting like chocolate every time it pulsated within her chest.

Then her heart quickened as she saw his face near hers. Her gaze fixed on his enticing lips drawing nearer to her own. For a mere instant she felt the soft velvet touch that his lips offered her as they gently brushed against her own, not quite touching yet. Rika cursed within her mind constantly as Kyo enticed her to want to kiss him, to want to have him in every way possible. She could not take the torture anymore and allowed his lips to join with hers, the feeling burning within her, tightening her lungs which made every breath an arduous task. Suddenly she remembered who she was and where she was and forcefully pulled away from the kiss, her cheeks burning furiously. She did not understand what made her want to do that. Guilt began to rise within, she had kissed Kyo and it was wrong. As quickly as her legs would carry her she darted out of the bathroom, tears now dribbling down her cheeks. She left Kyo standing by himself in the bathroom, thinking. What had he done?

* * *

(_**Short chapter :'( but it was only for one scene. Awwww poor Rika. Please review and comment on who Kyo should get with, Tohru or Rika. Thanks)**_


	14. Falling Behind

_**(Disclaimer I do not own Fruits Basket, you knew that already right? Please review on what you think so far!)**_

Chapter Thirteen: Falling Behind

In the refectory Kakeru, Yuki, Haru and Momiji all sat around a table, waiting for Rika to appear. She had left class in such a rush and they were contemplating if she had gone home. Then again Kyo was not here either so it was probably not the case. Perhaps they were talking about the issues they both had.

"I hope Rika cheers up soon-" Momiji mused, taking a sip of his blackcurrant juice. No-one seemed to utter another word out in the open and the atmosphere was getting increasingly choking the longer the silence lingered. They all had things they wanted to say but every word was hushed in their throats and they refused to utter anything. Yuki sighed, placing his hand to his forehead, a migraine was settling into his brain cells and it throbbed violently at regular intervals. He just knew something was going on and it was not favourable. He ardently hoped Rika was okay, that she was not upset anymore, that she would not shed any tears over him, that she was stronger than that.

"Maybe we should go and find her-" Kakeru said, breaking the silence.

"No-one knows where she went to" Haru mumbled, his dark eyes scanning Yuki's worried countenance, it was apparent that he was restless. Kakeru noticed also and allowed his own eyes to read Yuki's eyes. They beheld a deep sorrow that no medicine could cure, it was something far greater.

"YunYun, you feeling okay?" Kakeru asked, trying to lighten the mood of his comrade. Yuki shrugged;

"Fine I guess. I am just concerned about Ms. Saito"

"I think everyone is" Haru muttered, resting his head against his hand as his eyes diverted their attention to the door. Anytime Rika would arrive through that door and it would be their turn to discover what had occurred.

* * *

She sat at the bottom of the stairs, hand across her mouth, her body trembling violently as the realisation hit her like a rock. He had just kissed her as if it was nothing and it felt wrong, wrong on so many levels. Rika closed her eyes tightly, allowing newly formed water droplets to drop from her eye lashes and down her cheeks, smearing her makeup. Her heart hurt so much, it felt as if there was a large hole in her chest and with every beat her heart uttered it felt as if her body was being savagely ripped in two. It hurt so much and she could not take it anymore. Placing her hands over her face she cried, and she cried so hard. Her breathing became an arduous task and the strength seemed to just drain out of every limb. Why had Kyo done this to her? She would never be able to look at him in the same way again, it was all over. Their friendship was now nothing but a shattered mirror and now it was impossible to put it back together.

"Rika?" A small voice was heard from behind another door to another room. She refused to look up, she did not want anyone seeing her in this state, and it hurt too much. She continued to cry, slowly suffering in silence. Rika did not notice that the person who called her name was a girl from her class, the girl known as Kayuri. She possessed dark curly hair and hazel eyes and was perhaps similar in appearance to Rika.

"Rika sweetheart what is wrong?" Again no response, just more tears. How could she possibly explain the torture that she was going through? She had never experienced feelings for any boy in all her life but now she had and the thought of not being able to hold him, to kiss him, to call him hers killed her inside. Suddenly she felt small arms wrap around her and a body settle beside her, it was Kayuri. She held Rika as she continued to cry. She had no idea about how long she was crying for but one thing was for certain, this pain was the exact replica of the bullying she received back at her old college. The same pain that had induced her to self harm.

"Rika please come on, tell me what's wrong-" Her words were strangled in her throat so the only noises Kayuri heard were muffled groans and whines, nothing more. It was apparent that she was incredibly distraught as her whole body convulsed violently in her arms.

Rika did not notice when Kyo appeared from the bathroom, she did not notice when he turned to look at her with his soft amber gaze and she did not see when he left the hall and disappeared as if he were a mere mirage. It was his doing, all of it. Why had he done that to her? All she ever desired was to be close to Kyo but he took it a step too far by kissing her. The kiss felt different to in her dream, it felt wrong and she had frozen for a moment. She was unsure of what she was meant to feel because all she felt was horror. In her dream she felt happy and serene and it was perfect but in reality it was far from that, it was vile and wrong in every way. It was as if he took something important from her. Kayuri kept her gentle hold of Rika, slowly rubbing her arm to quell the tears. After some time Rika felt her voice return to her and decided it would be a good idea to talk;

"It's about Kyo" Kayuri blinked curiously;

"What about him?"

"It's all his fault-" she mumbled, her body still trembling slightly under the stress. Kayuri still kept her arms wrapped around the broken girl and reassured;

"I am sure everything will work out-"

"No Kay, no it won't. Everything is such a mess-" she muttered, feeling her voice start to break again. This wasn't right, things were so perfect a few days ago, why couldn't she go back in time, and go back to then? A time where it was serene and calm and perfect.

"Come on Rika, don't think like that" Kayuri said.

"Everything is ruined… everything" she mumbled, her lip quivering again as her hands still covered her face. The thoughts of him being with Tohru cursed her mind, the images slowly destroying her.

"How is everything ruined?"

"Kyo kissed me-" she explained, Kayuri's eyes widened at her statement. It was as if it was the first time she had heard of Kyo kissing anyone.

"Is that why you're so upset?" she asked and Rika nodded weakly. Of course it was. If the circumstances were different then she would have jumped at the chance but not this time and definitely not today.

"Well, maybe he likes you?" Kayuri mused, trying to be helpful. Rika shook her head;

"No Kay, he is going out with Tohru. He is just messing with my head and I can't take it anymore!" After some thought Kayuri managed to lift Rika up from the stairs and lead her out of the building. She needed to go home, she needed rest and to get away from the subject that was troubling her. Kyo.

* * *

Back at the refectory everyone remained on edge, waiting to see Rika's small figure arrive into the room. She did not; many other girls came in but none of them matching her description. It was as if she had vanished off the face of the Earth.

"Something isn't right-" Yuki mused, his eyes never leaving the door.

"Maybe she went home?" Haru mumbled, boredom settling into his bones. Yuki shook his head. Rika would never just go home for no reason unless it was important but even so he could not explain the sickening feeling that had congealed inside his stomach.

"Kyo isn't here either-" Momiji muttered, looking around for a flash of orange hair, he saw nothing. It was suspicious that both of them were nowhere to be found at the same time. Surely this was not coincidence. Kakeru chuckled and blurted out;

"Maybe they are screwing in the bathroom-"

"KAKERU!" Yuki cursed angrily, making him wince. Since when did Yuki get so touchy? Kakeru held his hands up in defence.

"Hey, it's only a thought. I only said what the others were thinking-" Haru sighed, this was getting them nowhere. As the deafening silence consumed them once more Momiji noticed something important and called out;

"Kyo is coming in, but I don't see Rika-" Immediately everyone's eyes and ears diverted their attention to the image of Kyo. His amber eyes diverted his gaze to the gleaming eyes of his cousins and Kakeru. It was obvious they were to enquire about Rika's sudden disappearance but how could he confess it was his doing? He slowly walked over to them, feeling every step begin to drain him of his energy. The look in Yuki's eyes said it all; things were not going to go well. As Kyo settled his figure into a seat beside Momiji Yuki was the first to speak;

"Where's Ms. Saito?"

"How the hell should I know?" Kyo grumbled, already getting irritated with Yuki's mannerisms. He knew that Yuki was not prepared to ignore this issue and he was prepared for the fisticuffs.

"Don't give me that Kyo; it's obvious you have been with her. What the hell have you been doing?" Kyo looked away, he did not feel the need to explain himself to Yuki, and after all it was none of his business.

"It's really none of your business you damned rat" he cursed.

"I believe it is you stupid cat, especially when you decide to screw around with my friends. Now that really upsets me-"

"Oh boo hoo~" Kyo mocked, rolling his amber eyes at the violet haired boy. He could not care less about what Yuki desired. He needed to keep out of Kyo's affairs.

* * *

Suddenly Yuki stood up, knocking his chair to the floor, alarming everyone. Slamming his hands on the table he growled;

"Quit with your god damn sarcasm you idiot. I swear to god if you have upset Ms. Saito you'll be taking a trip to the hospital-" It was now Kyo's turn to stand up and knock his chair to the floor, which resulted in the entire population of the refectory to watch the commotion unfold.

"I'd like to see you try you little rodent" Kyo mocked, a devilish grin scarred his countenance as the anger bubbled within. Kakeru, Momiji and Haru merely watched the scene unfold; it seemed too risky to intervene. Yuki moved his position until he was in front of Kyo, his eyes demonstrating the anger that he was capable of bestowing upon his cursed head.

"One more word from you and I swear you'll regret it-" Yuki warned, his fists clenched in anger. Normally Yuki would keep calm and never lose his temper but his time he could not just stand back and watch. Kyo smirked;

"I repeat, I'd like to see you try-" Yuki instantly swung his fist and it collided with Kyo's face, sending him tumbling to the floor. The population of the refectory gasped and gossiped amongst themselves upon witnessing the outburst of violence from the College Council President. Yuki looked on at the cat who was trying to recover from the punch, that had really knocked him off guard and for some reason Kyo did not have the energy to fight back. He knew he deserved this, and much more. He struggled to get to his feet as Yuki's eyes burned into his body. Kakeru, Haru and Momiji could not quite believe their eyes; Yuki had actually lashed out at Kyo and knocked him to the floor. It was almost unreal.

"Maybe that will teach you to quit messing with people's feelings-" Yuki muttered, before turning around and walking out of the refectory, down the hall and around the corner. He was gone, he needed to cool off.

Kyo finally got to his feet and placed hand to his jaw where that force sent him flying. It actually hurt; Yuki was sure pissed off with him to punch him that hard. He saw many eyes gleaming at him at what had just occurred. He knew he deserved it, he should have never kissed Rika, he knew it had upset her greatly but he felt a compelling urge to do it. It was as if it was right but it was apparent it was not. Had his heart deceived him? Slowly he settled his aching body into a chair; his face throbbed with the pain that Yuki bestowed.

"You alright man?" Kakeru asked, still shocked about the whole fight. Kyo weakly nodded;

"Yeah-"

"Why didn't you fight back?" Haru enquired, looking at Kyo with concerned eyes. He merely shrugged, feeling sorry for himself.

"He had a good reason to lash out like that-" Kyo mumbled, his head drooping downwards. He was such a fool and there was no way in hell Rika would ever forgive him for his actions. Everything was ruined.

"Even so, he completely decked you!" Kakeru blurted out, almost disappointed in Kyo's reaction to Yuki, as if he longed for him to stand up for himself. Kyo sighed, it was true. Yuki had given him a powerful punch but that did not matter right now. All that mattered was the problem in his own mind, the battle that was raging between his head and heart.

* * *

Kayuri and Rika walked through the car-park. It had been decided that Rika would go home to rest and forget about the day. It had been a bad day for everyone it seemed. Kayuri had her arm linked with Rika's to try and make her feel at ease, that some-one was here looking out for her. Rika's face told the crucifying story of events, her emotionless dark eyes looking at nothingness, the dark circles that encased them becoming darker with every second that passed, the way her face looked solemn and sombre and the fact it was obvious she had been crying.

"Let's get you home so you can rest and forget about everything" Kayuri said, trying to offer support. Rika weakly nodded, her heart feeling as if it had been torn in two. Why did it hurt so much? Kayuri noticed a figure from the corner of her eye and stopped. It was some-one she recognised. Coming out of the college building was none other than Yuki, is face expressing nothing but anger.

"Yuki!" Kayuri called out, giving him a wave of her arm to signal to him. His eyes looked across for a moment before realising who she was and then steadily he trudged towards them. Rika did not even bother to raise her eyes up to the image of Yuki nearing her. It was too much effort.

"What's wrong with Ms. Saito?" Yuki asked when finally in range. Kayuri looked across at Rika before explaining;

"Kyo kissed her and it has really upset her so I said that she should go home" Yuki clenched his fist once more, remembering the punch he had bestowed upon that cursed orange top. Now it had been worth it. Instead of concentrating on Kyo, Yuki diverted his attention to Rika who now was nothing but a shadow of her former self. He gently rubbed her shoulder and mumbled;

"You want to go home Ms. Saito?" she weakly nodded, feeling her chest begin to tighten once more. Yuki glanced across at Kayuri and said;

"I'll take her home; you go and tell Bob the reason why we are both absent"

"Okay Yuki, no problem-" she beamed as Yuki took control of the situation. Slowly both he and Rika walked through the car park and were soon out of the college gates. Kayuri watched as they both trundled down the road, Rika still her solemn self. She sighed, things had gotten so hectic in such a short space of time and it was wrong. It was Kyo's fault but a part of her wanted everything to get sorted and get better. After all, wasn't this a part of fate?

* * *

_**(Poor Rika! Good on Yuki for hitting Kyo! Thought and opinions please and review! Always appreciated.)**_


	15. I'm Still Here

_**(Disclaimer I do not own Fruits Basket, you knew that already right?)**_

_**This is a birthday fic; it's my birthday WOOO~ yeah. 19, at last and I don't feel any older. Happy birthday to me and to all the people who love this fic because here is the next instalment. Enjoy and review!**_

Chapter Fourteen: I'm Still Here

The journey home was a quiet and awkward one as Rika could not summon the courage to tell Yuki about the events. It was bad enough without trying to remember it. It was nice that he actually wanted to take her home and make sure she was okay. That was true gentleman like behaviour, which was Yuki. As they stepped off the last bus both Rika and Yuki walked towards her house. He had never been to her house before but all that congealed in his mind were thoughts and visions, hoping that Rika was not suffering under the veil of silence. As they turned the corner Yuki broke the silence;

"Ms. Saito, are you feeling any better?" Her eyes managed to look at Yuki and she conjured a small smile. At least that was better than crying.

"I feel a bit better I guess. Thanks for offering to come back with me, you're a true friend Yuki" He smiled as they continued the walk. Even though Rika had completely ignored Yuki for the majority of the time she knew him, he had not abandoned her or said a bad word about her. He was a loyal and honest friend, and friends like that were hard to find. Slowly reaching in her jeans she uncovered her key and shoved it into the lock. Luckily for her, her mother was at work so no-one was home. It would just be her and Yuki and that thought made her silently smile. At least he had no hidden motives for his gentleman mannerisms. When they both stepped across the threshold Yuki admired the décor.

"Your house is lovely Ms. Saito"

"Thank you Yuki" she mumbled shyly, now finding a new ounce of strength to converse with him, perhaps if she told him everything from start to finish things would become a lot clearer within her head. Yuki would not abandon her for having feelings even if he disliked them, he would still be there. He always would. Slowly she locked the door and then led the way to the living quarters. It was decorated in colours of white and lavender, with accessories to match. Rika also had a pet; she had a small canary in the corner of the room which Yuki immediately noticed. The yellow form flitted about anxiously at the new visitor. Rika chuckled.

"Ignore him, he's nervous around strangers-" She smiled as she lead the way to her leather sofa and settled her figure into its embrace. Yuki followed and nervously did the same. It was odd, ever since Yuki offered to take her home she left a lot happier than she had been. Kyo was not here, she was free from his presence for now, until tomorrow. That morbid thought haunted her mind.

"Ms. Saito-" He started.

"Please just call me Rika-" she said, smiling. She hated formalities. Yuki nodded and tried again;

Okay, Rika… I have a confession of my own" She could see guilt written all over his angelic features and she knew that the thing he wished to converse about was troubling. She listened.

"Go ahead-" He swallowed hard;

"I punched Kyo-"

"You did WHAT?" she exclaimed, her voice reaching a higher pitch than she intended. She did not know whether she was grateful or horrified by his actions. This would take time to converse about

Yuki looked down at the floor; he did not know whether or not she would be grateful about his interference.

"I'm sorry, he just angered me-" he mumbled.

"It cannot be helped now. It's in the past, but can I ask why?" Rika said, scanning Yuki for tell-tale signs of his monologue. His eyes revealed nothing but sincerity and the nervous disposition he was displaying only indicating he was apprehensive about his surroundings, nothing more.

"Well-" he began, "-I asked him where you were and he started acting cocky with me. I already knew something was wrong and so my anger increased and he taunted me until I flipped. Everyone in the refectory saw-" He placed a hand to his head, now his profile at the college would go down in estimation. Rika bit the inside of her lip, Yuki hit Kyo for her? How did Yuki know she was upset? Was he psychic?

"Thanks Yuki but please don't ever do that again. I can fight my own battles"

"If you insist" he responded, his dark eyes scanning the room nervously. He was not used to being in another girl's house. Ever since the curse had been broken he had never had any contact with a girl or anything of similar fashion. Rika sighed and rested her head against one of the pillows, at least she felt a bit better even if her eyes stung a little.

"So he kissed you-" Yuki mumbled, slowly joining his hands together as his elbows rested on his knees. Rika nodded;

"Yes, he did. In the girl's bathroom. I told him to leave but-"

"Did he force himself on you?" Yuki quickly exclaimed. She shook her head. At least that was one thing Kyo had in his favour.

"No, he just sorta seduced me I guess and now I feel guilty about it because he is with Tohru and it is unfair on her. What am I going to do Yuki?" Yuki pondered; his face full of concentration. What was the next move? He placed a hand to his chin as he responded;

"I am going to tell her-"

"Yuki you can't!" Rika called out desperately. She did not want Tohru to hate her. It would just make the issue worse to deal with. Yuki smiled;

"It's okay; I won't say it was your fault. I'll make sure Kyo knows how messed up this situation is and how deep he has dug his hole. He's made his bed and so he will sleep in it-" Rika swallowed hard, this was going to end badly, and she just knew it.

* * *

After another hour of talking about idle gossip Yuki decided it would be beneficial if he left her abode and retired back to his habitat. Rika nodded as she stood at the door. She hoped that Yuki would not tell Tohru, after all Tohru did not deserve it. It was wrong and she was such a pure and good natured girl. Rika felt like the bad guy; or girl in this case.

"I will see you tomorrow Ms. Saito... I mean... Rika" he smiled, he was learning slowly to lose the formalities with her.

"Indeed you will" she said, smiling also. At least their talk had helped clear her head and relive her of her woes. She outstretched her arms and muttered;

"You are not leaving without giving me a hug though-" A warm smile emitted from her frame as Yuki blinked curiously for a few moments. He finally understood and wrapped his arms around her, embracing her in a friendly way. He was lucky, lucky that she was such a good friend to him and no matter what she could always confide in him. After releasing each other they both waved a goodbye and Yuki started his journey homewards. Rika waved once more before she closed the door and locked it tight. As Yuki walked his mind was filled with one thought, he was going to tell Tohru and he was going to do it now. Kyo was not getting away with that, when Kyo confessed he loved Tohru he had no consideration for Yuki and his feelings and this time it was payback.

* * *

**A few hours later….**

Rika lay on her sofa, hands behind her head. She glanced at the clock and it read way past half twelve, college was done for the day and she had allowed herself to retire early due to Kyo's actions. She sighed, she actually wished she stayed at college; it was boring at home with no-one to talk to and nothing to do. As she rested comfortably she heard a buzzing sound and felt a small vibration, it was coming from her mobile phone in her jeans pocket. In haste she snatched it out of her pocket and glanced at the screen. An unknown number flashed up but nevertheless she decided to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Rika" came a happy voice. She sighed, how did Kakeru get her number?

"How did you get my number Kakeru?" She could almost hear his happiness down the phone.

"Yuki gave it me in case you wanted some company-" she mentally kicked herself. Company from Kakeru? Would that actually be beneficial? She gently rubbed her forehead before continuing.

"So, why are you calling me?"

"I was wondering-" he mused, creating a pause on the end of the phone for a few moments. "-If you wanna come out?"

"Come out?" she repeated, almost worried at his request. She knew Kakeru's intentions already and was not prepared to allow him to take advantage of her vulnerable state.

"Yeah, like go and watch a film or something? Before you say no, I'm paying" Rika thought, since when did he propose things like this? She was meant to be chilling with Haru tonight but considering as that subject had not been bought up again she thought that perhaps it wasn't such a bad idea. At least she would be out of the house and away from the deafening silences.

"Okay, you twisted my arm. What time?" Kakeru almost squeaked in joy and Rika could not help but smile. It was odd that everyone was fighting for her attention in waves. After a pause he continued;

"Well, it's almost 1pm so how about I pick you up say 2:30pm?"

"Sounds good, no problem. See you then-" she muttered.

"See you then Rika, toodle pip for now" and with that the phone conversation ended. She placed her phone on the coffee table and contemplated about the idea of actually going out with Kakeru, just her and him. Could he be trusted? She shrugged off the complaint for now and decided it would be beneficial to tidy up and at least look presentable for when he came to pick her up.

* * *

Meanwhile back at the Sohma's Yuki waited, he knew Tohru would be round sometime today but at the moment he needed to converse with Kyo. He was not home yet but when he arrived, man he had it coming to him. Yuki knew Kyo was already edgy with him and probably angry after his outburst in the refectory but that did not matter. He wanted to warn Kyo, to warn him that he was going to tell Tohru about the event if Kyo continued to harass Rika. It wouldn't be long until he walked through the door and Yuki was ready, he was ready for the arguments and the violence. As if by magic Kyo arrived, slowly trudging through the open door and closing it to.

"You and I need to talk-" Yuki issued before Kyo even had a chance to turn around. With his back facing Yuki he responded;

"I haven't got time for any more arguments-"

"I have-" Yuki started, feeling annoyed once more. Kyo finally turned around, his face depicting a different Kyo, a broken Kyo. Yuki's gaze softened for a moment until he realised that it was Kyo's fault for all of this and he deserved to be punished. As Yuki folded his arms he promised;

"I heard about your make-out session with Rika"

"Oh, no formalities now? So it's not 'Ms. Saito' anymore?" Kyo mocked, gently rubbing his temples in annoyance. He was starting to get a headache.

"This has nothing to do with me you stupid cat-" Yuki started. "-this is to do with Rika and Tohru. You're messing about with both of them and it's wrong!" A silence commenced as the cat walked into the living quarters and sat down, idly ignoring Yuki. Yuki followed and continued to growl;

"If you don't tell Tohru about Rika then I will-"

"Go on then-" Kyo retorted, his body lying lazily on the sofa. It was as if he did not care about anything anymore, that nothing mattered. Yuki blinked, he was obviously calling his bluff.

"I'm not kidding Kyo; I will seriously phone her right now and tell her about your little kissing session. She won't be pleased"

"Just because you want Tohru-" Kyo returned, his amber eyes fixing their gaze on Yuki who seemed hurt by that statement. Shaking it off, he replied;

"This is not about me Kyo, it is about you"

"Do whatever you want" Kyo groaned, rubbing his forehead once more. It was as if he had given up on everything he wanted, everything he had and he was giving it all up for what? For nothing in Yuki's eyes.

* * *

Rika looked at herself in the mirror, why had she made such an effort? She had even tried to look more feminine than she usually did, comfort was more important than looking sexy but on this occasion she ignored it. Not that she ever classed herself as sexy or any words to that effect but she did admit she looked okay or 'presentable'. She combed her fingers through her hair to straighten it to its full length and then glanced at her watch, it was 2:30, Kakeru would be here soon and she just knew things would get worse.

She straightened out her skirt, which was just black instead of a mix of bright colours; she had gone for a subtle approach tonight, mostly blacks, whites and a flash of pink in her top. That was enough. To disturb her she heard a knock downstairs, it was obviously Kakeru and he was on time. That was odd. Quickly she grabbed one of her bags which contained her spare purse and makeup bag, not that she would need any of it but she felt silly not bringing a bag with her. One more look in the mirror before she hastily rushed down the stairs to unlock the door. As she unlocked the door her dark eyes met with Kakeru's and he merely uttered;

"You look lovely Rika-"

"Thank you" She replied shyly, now getting a good chance to look at him properly. He had made an effort also, he wore a chequered shirt that was loosely done up with dark jeans and trainers. Okay, even though it was casual it still was appealing and Rika smiled. Maybe the trip to the cinema would not be so bad after all. She stepped out of her house and locked the door behind her. As she placed the keys in her bag Kakeru asked;

"So which cinema you wanna go to?"

"The nearest one" she replied, walking alongside Kakeru out of her gate. He pondered.

"Okay, we will go to the one in between our houses; that seem okay to you?" Rika thought, she had no idea where he lived. What if he lived far away? Getting back home would be a struggle. Nevertheless she nodded;

"Okay, no problem" He smiled and Rika could not help but feel a lot better in being in amiable company. At least her mind was off the subject that troubled her and she actually felt a slight pang of happiness within her heart for the first time today. Surprisingly Kakeru was a lot nicer than she originally thought, the conversations they had were always creative and laughable which she liked. At least he could make her laugh which was what she needed right now.

As they stood at the bus stop Rika looked into the sky. It was beautiful, the clouds had vanished and it revealed nothing but a picturesque sky and the warm orb that inhabited it, known as the sun. It warmed her back somewhat and she seemed delighted, at least the weather was good. Kakeru seemed to enjoy the weather also. He never thought she would allow him to take her out in a million years and he was pleasantly surprised when she had said yes to his request.

"Oh-" She mused "-What film are we going to watch?" Kakeru looked thoughtful, scratching his head in a boyish fashion.

"No idea, anything you wanna watch in particular?" She shrugged;

"Not really, we could always see what's on when we get there" He nodded and smiled again. She found herself smiling too; at least she was feeling content even if she was in the company of Kakeru. She hoped that the trip would be successful and it would help her forget about the woes that hammered down on her head and that they would be erased forever.

* * *

Back at the Sohma's Yuki had called Tohru and asked her to come over right away as he had some important news to share with her. She seemed almost perplexed at his statement but agreed nonetheless and said she would be round as quickly as possible. Not even this fazed Kyo, maybe he did not care. Maybe he wanted her to find out so it would give him a reason to call it quits on the relationship. Yuki had no idea but one thing's for certain; Kyo was going to suffer the consequences of his actions.

"Not long left until she finds out what an ass-wipe you are" Yuki uttered, smirking somewhat considerably. Kyo shrugged, his body language sending signals that he had lost the will to fight this battle, that whatever happened, happened and there was nothing he could say or do to prevent the outcome. Yuki sighed and rested his body against the wall;

"Do you seriously not care about this?"

"What if I do? It doesn't matter now does it?" he retorted, his amber eyes refusing to look at his cousin. It was all going to end soon and Kyo's heart ached inside. He did not know if it ached with hurt, confusion or anxiety but he knew that he felt empty. Yes, he had Tohru but she acted more like a friend around him even if they were meant to be a couple. Ever since he met Rika he had mixed emotions and even considered about not telling Tohru, it was only due to Rika's adamant persuasion that told him he should, and he did. He felt empty, she was not here and she hated him intensely. There was no point in hiding the fact it hurt but still, what could he do?

Rika would never allow him to come near to her now. For a few moments he reminisced about the times he spent with her, back up on the roof and at the lake. When he had made a comment about her and she was so oblivious that she never realised. The more time he spent with her the more his heart yearned to be with her instead but how could he tell Tohru? He knew it would hurt her due to his own reckless actions and he hated it. He hated himself. But there was thing he was sure of, he was definitely falling.

* * *

_**(Awwww, let's see what happens next between Rika and Kyo. Let's hope they get talking again :'( Thanks to all the readers who read this and enjoy this as much as I do in writing it. Thanks)**_


	16. Two Hearts Beating

_**(Disclaimer I do not own Fruits Basket, you knew that already right?)**_

_**Alas~ another update for everyone who reviews this story. I am grateful for everyone's opinions and views on the fic and it inspires to me to continue to write more, so people here it is! Enjoy! (Oh btw this chapter is just based on two characters so don't be disappointed)**_

Chapter Fifteen: Two Hearts Beating

_~She could feel her heart throb violently within her ribcage as she slowly rested her head against his arm. It was as if it was right, as if she was wrong about him in the first place. He was here for her when times were hard, he never turned his back, he was here and she knew by looking into those mysterious alluring eyes that he could be hers if only her heart would open up. That was the issue, her heart was already attempting to mend itself from its onslaught from Kyo and to suddenly try to get it to open up to another was a big ask and she did not know if she was capable of it. One thing was certain, he knew how to make her feel special, to make her feel like she belonged in this world, with or without Kyo. The warmth of his body was clearly felt against her cheek, which started to burn furiously at the thought of being near him. She had sworn to Yuki that HE would be the last person she would seek comfort from but here she was, snuggling up to him while watching something that they actually weren't paying attention to. It was background noise to her, nothing more. As time lingered on she knew what his desires were, his devilish desires, but if she complied she was doing nothing wrong... was she? She was single and so was he so it was normal right? As she raised her head up her dark eyes stared directly into his, as if they both instinctively knew what was playing on their minds and slowly their faces got nearer to each other until~_

* * *

Rika grumbled; this bus journey was uncomfortable. The bus made this annoying screech every time it turned a corner and the heating was on full blast so she was practically melting. It was apparent that Kakeru was displeased also. The bus driver had been obnoxious to him when he enquired about the lateness of the bus; he merely snorted and ignored Kakeru, much to his annoyance. He would have given him a piece of his mind if he was on his own but he did not, he was with Rika. Even though the bus journey was somewhat depressing the uplifting part was actually conversing properly with Rika. It had actually altered her original thoughts about him, he wasn't as perverted as she expected, and in fact he was normal. Just like Kyo…

"Man, that driver. I swear I was gonna deck him-" Kakeru cursed causing Rika to laugh.

"And then you would have been dragged off to prison for GBH or something-" He could not help but smile. Surprisingly Rika was having a good time so far, forgetting all about the stresses and issues that once congealed in her mind, he was helping her forget about them in some way. Maybe it was his dazzling personality and how he always caused her to laugh. Laughter was the best medicine any doctor could prescribe. She looked out the window for a moment before starting the conversation again;

"Do you tend to do this a lot?"

"What? Go out?" he asked, confusion in his voice. She shook her head;

"No, as in offer to take a freak out for the night?" She chuckled but then hushed as she saw the cursed look in his eyes. Maybe that was too far;

"You're not a freak Rika-" He muttered, feeling saddened that she considered herself as a freak of nature and that she was something that should be abhorred by society. Again she chuckled;

"I am certainly not normal"

"That is true-" Kakeru teased. He received a playful hit to his arm and he winced. Yeah, like that hurt. He was only having fun and it seemed to be working as the smile continued to re-appear countless times on her countenance. At least he was doing something right. He continued;

"I meant that you're not normal but you're good enough for me. I like how you are and I wouldn't want you to change" Rika could not help but feel embarrassed at his comment. Her cheeks felt hot. Was she blushing? No, it could not be, only Kyo could make her blush. Couldn't he? Rika mentally cursed within, she had said such horrible things about Kakeru, saying he was the last person she would go near when that in fact was not the case. She had merely misunderstood him when she was too preoccupied with Kyo. A silly childish crush.

* * *

The bus suddenly came to a sudden stop, they had arrived and they had not even noticed. They were too engrossed in conversing that they had completely forgotten the fact they were going to the cinema and not taking a field trip on the bus. That was the last thing Rika desired. As they stepped off the bus she felt the soothing breeze waft through her long locks of black satin hair and it was somewhat refreshing. The cinema was not too far away from the bus stop, only around the corner and across a courtyard then voila! Kakeru started up;

"So, you feeling happier now?"

"Yes, much better" she said, not having to lie for once about her feelings. She could be open about it and she was actually content for the first time in a few days. Kakeru just seemed to be able to erase the pain in some way. He smiled;

"Excellent, glad I could help-" Rika chuckled, his mannerisms really tickled her at times even if he did not intend them to be funny. He always had a way to induce her to laugh in some way.

"So am I" she returned, smiling at the dark headed boy. All throughout the journey she had not felt self conscious about herself or anything. For once she actually felt confident and maybe that was down to Kakeru's input. As they crossed the road they could see the cinema in the distance, it wouldn't be long now.

"Decided on the film yet?" Kakeru asked, looking across at her. She shrugged;

"Not really, to be honest I don't mind what we watch"

"Same here-" he answered, walking steadily towards their destination. Inside himself Kakeru felt content, he never imagined being with Rika like this and actually being able to take her out. It was almost as if it were a dream, but it was far from that. It was definitely real. Slowly his eyes diverted their gaze to her left hand, which just screamed out for him to hold it but he refused. He did not know if she would appreciate it or not and he was not prepared to ask. He could afford to wait.

* * *

After some time of walking, they finally entered the spacious cinema, surprisingly it was almost empty, there were no queues and everything was quiet. It was perfect for Rika, she enjoyed solitude. They both stopped and gazed up at the board, displaying what films were on. It was now 3:00pm and most films were on in an hour's time. Kakeru sighed;

"Well, anything that takes your fancy?" Rika pondered, scanning through the list. Well, eighteen rated films were out of the question and Kakeru did not even look fifteen let alone eighteen so she declined. Then she spotted something that seemed appealing, she replied;

"Let's go and see Forgiven, it looks like a good film-"

"Is it a romantic film?" Kakeru enquired, giving Rika a stern glance. She nodded and he sighed;

"I hate romance-"

"Well, we can always see something else" she mumbled, she wanted both of them to agree on the film. It would be beneficial for them both. He shook his head;

"It's fine, if you wanna see it then I will watch it too-" Rika smiled, a wave of happiness rushed through her system, no-one had ever been that considerate to her in all her life. She never even knew Kakeru had it in him. Smiling she said;

"Thank you so much Kakeru" He rolled his eyes and gave a shy smile as he lead Rika up to the counter to ask for what was required. As they paid for their tickets and walked towards the food counter Rika felt strange. She could not describe it either, it was a feeling she knew but at the moment it seemed foreign to her. She was almost certain she had experienced it before. Kakeru glanced up at the choices of food and mused;

"I don't know what popcorn to get, sweet or salted?"

"I don't like salted-" Rika whined, making a sick gesture and chuckling afterwards. Kakeru smiled again and thought;

"Well… is there anything you want?" Her dark eyes scanned the choices, nothing really appealed to her and so with that she shook her head.

"It's okay, I am not really hungry"

"Okay, I'll get a bag of sweet popcorn then. If you want any just let me know" he mumbled as he moved over to the counter to purchase some. Rika stood back merely watching. Why was this going a lot more perfect than she originally thought? Why was there no arguing or fighting? She swallowed hard; maybe he was not so bad after all. That thought was hard to comprehend, even for Rika.

* * *

After finally getting the food which took ages they decided to go to the room now. Just because the guy behind the counter dropped the first bag everywhere and then it took about five minutes to clear it up and get a new bag meant it was almost time for the film to start, he had made them almost late. They rushed into the room and watched as everything suddenly went black. They could hardly see.

"Rika, get your phone out. I can't see a damn thing" Kakeru whined, bumping into a nearby wall. Rika chuckled.

"Just follow my lead-"

"How can I when all I see is black?" He whined once more, hoping he was not spilling any of the popcorn he just waited an eternity for. Suddenly he felt small fingers latch around one of his wrists and he was being dragged through the corridor into the room. As they entered the room there were only a few people already sitting down and the back row was free. Like a child Rika leapt up the stairs in joy, delighted that her favourite spot in the cinema was free. Kakeru could not help but groan; he hated walking up millions of stairs. As they finally got there and sat down Kakeru breathed a sigh of relief, now he could relax.

"That's my exercise for the day-" He joked. Rika smiled and gently hit him on his arm;

"Stop acting like a big girl! It was only a few flights of stairs"

"Yeah, and I am unhealthy" he retorted, smiling. He placed the popcorn in between both of them so they could share, even though Rika insisted she wanted none. This was Kakeru's turn to be childish. He leaned across and whispered to Rika;

"I say we throw some at the people sitting at the front" She could not help but giggle, it was as if he read her mind.

"Go on then-" she encouraged and watched as he looked around, grabbed a handful and threw it all over the person sitting at the front. Both he and Rika chuckled quietly as he perceived the man stand up, shake it all off him, give them death glares and sit back down. Kakeru continued to laugh silently to himself, not quite believing the man's reaction, it was classic.

"Ah~ that was class" he beamed, still chuckling slightly. Rika could not help smile, for some reason she felt alive and happy and that she wanted to be daring and dangerous. Just like he was. Maybe his personality was rubbing off on her. Surprisingly he was terrific company for a tortured heart that was on the verge of breaking but now it had been completely repaired. He was the strongest glue that she could ever need. She felt herself looking at him for a little too long and it was obvious he noticed. He looked across at her, blinked and then asked;

"Is there something on my face?"

"No, why would there be?" she asked innocently. Of course her innocent overtone did not hide the fact she was trying to hide the real reason for her apparent staring act. She did not know the entire reason, she just did it, and it was just a reflex.

* * *

To disturb their state music blasted from the speakers and signified the start of the film. Rika settled comfortably into her chair and accidentally hit her arm off the arm rest. Her face crinkled in pain as she managed to move it upwards so there was nothing separating both her and the dark haired boy. It had only just sunk in that she had removed the barrier and she wondered if he would assume that she did it on purpose, that there was a hidden meaning. Rika knocked it to the back of her mind as the adverts started to roll on the big screen. This would preoccupy her for now she thought. She thought wrong;

"I hate this damn advert!" Kakeru said loudly, now deciding it would be a good idea to start eating his popcorn.

"Can't say I am keen on it either-" Rika joined in, finding herself looking back across at Kakeru. Why did she keep doing that? The answers were not found within her mind or heart, perhaps she was compelled to? Kakeru was oblivious for now but it would not be long until he took note. She shivered for a moment, a sudden cold chill wafted over her bones and the term used here 'some-one just walked over my grave'. Kakeru took note of that and paused in eating;

"You cold Rika?" he asked his voice different to its usual happy tone. She shook her head, feeling embarrassed for an unknown reason;

"I am fine-"

"Hey, if your cold just say" He retorted. She could see his dark eyes looking into hers and for that moment she died a little inside. What the hell was wrong with her? She only had feelings inside for Kyo, that orange top so why was her heart cheating? Again she shook her head ignoring the incessant groan of the advert jingles. Kakeru raised an eyebrow;

"Rika if your cold just come here, I'll make sure your warm if you want" She closed her eyes as she tried to think. Hugging him? Was that even right? Would it feel okay to hug him? She thought about it some more, it would probably not be as bad as she thought but for some reason she was nervous about it. It was only a hug, what was the big deal?

Shuffling her body she managed to finally move herself nearer to him and stopped when she felt his body touch hers. This was awkward she thought until he suddenly put his arm around her shoulder. It tensed up immediately;

"Relax Rika, I'm not gonna jump your bones yanno" he mumbled, gently giving her a comforting squeeze. She felt a small smile spread across her face. At least he was always honest and open about his feelings. That was one thing he had in his favour, he was opinionated and did not care if people did not appreciate his views. The adverts ceased and now film trailers commenced.

She was starting to warm up and she knew it was not just due to his body heat, it was due to her face burning up considerably. She had no idea why.

She could feel her heart throb violently within her ribcage as she slowly rested her head against his arm. It was as if it was right, as if she was wrong about him in the first place. He was here for her when times were hard, he never turned his back, he was here and she knew by looking into those mysterious alluring eyes that he could be hers if only her heart would open up. That was the issue, her heart was already attempting to mend itself from its onslaught from Kyo and to suddenly try to get it to open up to another was a big ask and she did not know if she was capable. One thing was certain, he knew how to make her feel special, to make her feel like she belonged in this world, with or without Kyo. The warmth of his body was clearly felt against her cheek, which started to burn furiously at the thought of being near him. She had sworn to Yuki that HE would be the last person she would seek comfort from but here she was, snuggling up to him while watching something that they actually weren't paying attention to. It was background noise to her, nothing more.

As time lingered on she knew what his desires were, his devilish desires but if she complied she was doing nothing wrong was she? She was single and so was he so it was normal right? As she moved her head up her dark eyes stared directly into his, as if they both instinctively knew what was playing on their minds and slowly their faces got nearer to each other until their noses touched. Her heart leaped suddenly, what the hell was wrong with her?

* * *

Rika kept her eyes focused on him, all on him. Their noses touching just slightly and she could feel her heart thundering inside. Why was this happening? His eyes were closed when she heard him mutter quietly;

"You have no idea how much you mean to me-" Why couldn't she hear those words from Kyo? It was odd in some way, right now Kyo did not even register on her scale. Kakeru had a magical way of erasing the bad things and replacing them with good memories and indeed future memories. Rika closed her own eyes, slowly biting into her lip nervously. Why was this scene rendering her heart almost useless? They were so close, noses touching, faint breath on each other's faces yet they were so far, so distant. She needed to answer back to what he had said and she muttered;

"No-one has ever said anything like that to me before-"

"Well, there is always a first time for everything" he answered, smiling. Their eyes remained closed as it was apparent what they longed for, that one special thing that would change everything yet both of them remained frozen. Rika felt her breaths become heavier and it became more difficult to obtain enough oxygen from the air around them. Her lungs tightened as the thought of this scene unfolding played in her mind. A scene that did not finish and she was left wondering what happens next. Kakeru disturbed her thoughts;

"You are so beautiful Rika, ever since the first time I ever saw you"

"Kakeru-" she mumbled, her breaths becoming heavier and heavier and to which she was almost gasping for air. This was becoming gruelling for her, staying in this fixed scene, wanting, longing for it to unfold yet too nervous to allow it to commence. She could feel his body trembling slightly next to hers, she knew he was so nervous and the thought made her apprehensive. Even so, she longed for this more than anything, this would make everything clearer. Slowly she moved her nose nearer to his face so it gently brushed against his cheek. She felt him quickly inhale as if he was shocked at her sudden movement. Now she could clearly feel his warm breath on her face and she mumbled quietly;

"Kiss me-"

Slowly she felt his lips join with hers and her heart started up its violent speed within her chest. His lips were so soft and warm against hers and for some reason this felt perfect. So perfect in fact she could not help but allow her arms to wrap around his waist. He pulled away for a mere second until kissing her again only this time with more vigour. He decided it would be perfect to be curious and his tongue devilishly teased her mouth, enticing it to part open more. She knew it was right and complied, now allowing him to explore her mouth with the same passion as she had longed for so long. She felt his strong arms embracing her gently as if she were a porcelain doll.

She had sacrificed her first proper kiss to him but she did not regret this, in fact she would do it again if she could. Even if it was not from Kyo this was just as perfect, maybe even more so. She entwined her own tongue around his as they continued to kiss in the dark. The light dimming more and more as they barely heard the film begin in the background, none of that mattered to them; all that mattered was this moment. Whether this be forever or not, it was forever for now in their minds.

* * *

_**(Fluuuuuffff :P Love it! Cute, and please review. Let me know what you think of it. Thank you all)**_


	17. Confession

_**(Disclaimer I do not own Fruits Basket, you knew that already right?)**_

_**Sorry for such a late update, I have been very ill and have only just recently felt marginally better to write. I want to thank my sister Kayleigh for some ideas as I have had writers block. (Thank you) But now I am all good and should update sooner. Thanks to everyone who likes this and please don't be afraid to review and tell me what bits you like or don't like. Voila~ here is the next instalment.**_

Chapter Sixteen: Confession

His amber eyes kept their gaze on the clock; it was almost time for her arrival. She would be coming round soon and for some unknown reason he did not feel anything, as if his heart was numb to the world. Ever since Rika had ran away from him, fear consuming those majestic dark eyes and when she forcefully pushed him away was when he knew that nothing mattered anymore. He had ruined everything and he wished that he had come to terms with it sooner to save himself and others from being hurt. It did not help things that Yuki was hanging around him like a vulture flying around a dead carcass. It was slowly starting to aggravate him. He knew that Yuki would speak soon and instinct told him that things would not go as smoothly as he would have liked.

"I hope you know what you're going to tell Ms. Honda" Yuki started, his arms folded as he leaned his body against the wall. Kyo sighed; he had no idea of what he was meant to say. He had no apparent reason for his actions towards Rika, the only reason that came to mind was that it were instinct and nothing more; he could not prevent his actions.

"Does it even matter what I say? I already know you're gonna make it seem worse than it was just so you can comfort her when she's upset-" Kyo retorted, combing his fingers through his hair.

"That is where you're wrong; I am merely worried and concerned about Ms. Honda. There are no hidden motives, I am nothing like you-" All Kyo could muster was a weak chuckle. The thought of trying to explain to Tohru actually terrified him, to see those large azure eyes fill with tears, to almost see her heart break in two, he knew it would be difficult to deal with but it was due to his own actions. He had to accept the consequences.

To break the awkward silence a small knock sounded at the door, making Kyo practically leap up. Was this Tohru already? He could feel himself begin to perspire, this was too soon. He did not even know what to say to her. Kyo watched as Yuki escaped the room to allow her entrance. He swallowed hard, how could he bare to see those eyes so full of despair and pain? He knew that he had succeeded in hurting both Tohru and Rika and now there was a possibility that neither of them would be able to forgive him for what he had done. He heard the faint introductions at the door;

"Hello Ms. Honda"

"Hey Yuki, what's so urgent that I needed to come over right away?"

"You'll see, Kyo and I need to talk to you about something very important-" Kyo closed his eyes, trying to block out Yuki's annoying voice. Why had he got himself involved in Kyo's life? It had nothing to do with him. He knew there were only a few precious seconds before she would enter the room and naively smile, like everything was just perfect when it clearly was not. He doubted he even had the heart to tell her, he was a coward.

He heard faint footsteps near the door, he was almost sure it was them and he could feel his heart start up dangerous palpitations inside his chest. This feeling was somewhat nauseating to him. Slowly he opened his eyes to perceive both Yuki and Tohru standing in front of him, Tohru smiling as she usually did. Why was she so oblivious to all this? Did she not know that things were going downhill since they went to the shop and Kyo was obviously not interested in being there? He would have rather been with Rika at that moment in time.

"Kyo, you feeling okay? You look ill" she asked,

"I am fine-" he retorted quickly, not wanting to hear her voice anymore. It hurt too much as it was. He knew that Yuki would feel triumphant in this situation. He would smile as if he had got the upper hand. That would just make his anger increase. Tohru turned to Yuki;

"What's wrong with Kyo?"

"Kyo has got something very important he wishes to tell you, haven't you Kyo?" Kyo's eyes widened, he put him on the spot immediately. He turned away, trying to ignore their presence in the room but it was destroyed;

"Kyo what is it?" Tohru asked, her voice full of the distinct naivety that everyone was so accustomed to. He could feel his hands begin to tremble as he dug his fingers into his hair. This was too much and so remained silent.

* * *

After the film had finished and they started their journey home Rika felt awkward. Why had she kissed Kakeru? At the time it felt right, but now she was regretting it. It wasn't as if she was cheating on Kyo, they were not together but for some reason she felt guilty. Kakeru hadn't uttered a word either, it was as if they both regretted it but were too frightened to admit to it. As Rika sat on the bus beside him she turned to face out of the window, she thought about Kyo for the first time since the kiss incident at college. She sighed, why was everything such a mess? She wished everything would go back to how it used to be, when things were serene and peaceful. She knew of course that it would never happen. After being in silence for the majority of the journey Kakeru was the first one to speak;

"Rika, are you okay? I mean, you have hardly said a word since we left the cinema"

"I am fine-" she lied, trying to choke back tears that were somehow forming in the corners of her eyes. She could not cry, not now. He would definitely know something was wrong. He pursued;

"Rika, I know you're not fine. Is it about the kiss?" She remained silent as she closed her eyes tightly. The image returned and she felt her heart pang with hurt. She felt guilty about seeking comfort from some-one else; it was terribly selfish of her. Kakeru looked across at her; he was worried and so asked again;

"Please Rika just tell me. Was it because of that? Because if it is; just forget about it, it is fine"

"I am just sorry-" she replied weakly, still not managing to face him.

"Sorry? For what?" he pursued, getting evermore confused as this conversation lingered;

"About kissing you, it was wrong of me. I should have refused, I am sorry" He blinked curiously, that impression he got from what she just said was not a positive one. Just what was she trying to say?

"Rika, what are you saying? Am I bad at it or something?"

"It's not that Kakeru, it's just at the moment things are tough between Kyo and I and I should have had more sense than to seek comfort from another-" She was unaware of the fact that he was smiling at her honesty. He nodded;

"I understand; its fine. I already know that you like Kyo a lot more than you let on. Don't worry about it, its fine" Rika rested her head against the window pane as the bus continued its long journey, thinking. Thinking about Kyo, he would obviously be with Tohru right now doing god knows what and that thought crucified her. It was wrong to try to lie to herself about her feelings towards him. She and Kakeru both knew that her feelings were more intense than she ever thought and with that she felt her heart start to break in two once more.

* * *

The atmosphere was starting to choke him, it was becoming too intense and he had no idea of what to say to her, the naive girl who deserved none of this torture. Yuki's dark eyes kept their stern gaze upon the orange haired boy; he wished that he would confess to get it all out in the open. He said nothing. Tohru was getting more and more concerned.

"What is going on?" she asked, looking at Kyo then back at Yuki. Yuki sighed;

"Kyo, just tell her! What are you going to achieve if you keep lying all the time?"

"Just shut up you damned rat!" Kyo cursed, slamming his fist off the couch in anger which alarmed Tohru. Now she knew this was a lot more serious than she expected. Yuki placed a hand to his forehead in annoyance, why couldn't he just be honest with her?

"Kyo-" Tohru mumbled, nervously fidgeting on the spot. "-Please just tell me, whatever it is I promise I won't be angry or anything just please… tell me" He still could not muster the courage to tell her about kissing Rika, how could she promise that she would not get angry over something as vital as this? It was absurd. He merely shook his head in protest.

"Well if you don't tell her I will" Yuki declared, hoping to receive some kind of response from the orange haired boy. He received nothing. Yuki sighed, even though he saw this as a last resort he knew that it was the only way she would know about it.

"Ms. Honda-" Yuki started, seeing the worried expression on her countenance. He swallowed hard as he resumed "-Kyo kissed another girl"

He thought it would be beneficial to not bring Rika into this. Kyo closed his eyes tightly, waiting to hear her breakdown or something. All that was heard was silence and it was becoming deafening. Tohru slowly shook her head as she walked backwards towards the door.

"You are joking, aren't you?" She managed a half-hearted chuckle.

"No Ms. Honda, I am not joking. It is the truth" Again she shook her head. Kyo couldn't take this anymore; he needed to get away and now. This was all becoming too much to deal with. He could not even look at her, at how she was slowly breaking.

"But, Kyo would never do anything like that-" she protested his innocence naively. That was it, the last straw. Kyo stood up and left the room in haste and then decided it would be beneficial if he left the house. He stormed out of the house and found himself begin to run. He had no idea where he was running to; he just needed to escape for now. Tohru froze, now realizing that it was true. She could not prevent tears from dribbling down her cheeks as her lip started to quiver in sadness. Yuki looked on and then instinctively embraced her. As he held her he whispered;

"It's okay Ms. Honda" All that he heard from her were cries of sorrow that almost shredded his heart. The sound was excruciating and he longed for it to stop, to hear her happy and melodious voice once more instead of these painful cries. Deep within he cursed Kyo, how could he be so selfish and leave when it was an important issue? For now all that Yuki could do was embrace her as she continued to cry in his arms.

* * *

Rika got off the bus and waved goodbye to Kakeru, he was going to pick Machi up from her friend's and said it would be easier if he stayed on the bus. She agreed it was the best idea anyway. At least the journey home would be a silent yet peaceful one. As she walked she thought about many things, about Kakeru and Kyo. It hurt to think of Kyo in such a way that it almost rendered her heart useless but there was one thing she could not hide. She liked him a lot more than she originally planned and Kakeru was so thoughtful and sincere when she told him the truth. He did not seem upset or offended in the slightest.

As she neared her home she had no idea what issues were unfolding back at the Sohma's; that Tohru had now discovered their kissing session even though Yuki had spared Rika's name. All that she knew was that she wanted to get back home, to sleep it all off, to ignore the reality for once and dream. In her dreams things were peaceful and serene and everything that she ever wanted. In her fantasies she was with him, Kyo and they were happy without limits, without Tohru or anyone. Just them and even though it was selfish of her to dream those dreams she knew that they were the only things that provided comfort in her life because reality was becoming more like the pit of hell every day.

* * *

_**(Short chapter but I have been ill; they will be longer as it progresses. Please review and thanks to everyone you enjoys reading this)**_


	18. Faith In The Knife

_**(Disclaimer I do not own Fruits Basket, you knew that already right?)**_

_**Hello there~ and welcome to another fun filled chapter of The Girl Who Lost Her Smile! Yeah, not many fun and games I'll tell you that but anyway… I won't keep rambling. Please review and enjoy the next instalment. Au Revoir~**_

Chapter Seventeen: Faith in the Knife

He ran in a direction he was unsure of. He just knew he had to keep running and to never look back. It was probably the first time in his whole existence that he felt vulnerable, weak and useless and that the world was caving in around him. He needed to escape this blurred reality and seek comfort from somewhere. As he ran his mind whirled with cursed thoughts and memories from the past. Memories of Rika and himself, how blissful they used to be in the simplest of moments. It was a better time, it was a happier time and it was her doing that allowed him to confess when his own heart was wavering. He wished she had finished her sentence back then...

_~… I guess what I am trying to say is that I lo-…~_

She never finished and he wanted to know why. What was she trying to say back then? It was odd that Tohru had interrupted at that exact moment, as if it were planned, fate perhaps? Kyo shook those thoughts out of his mind and continued to run. He could feel cold splashes of rain hammer down on his body as he sprinted. He loathed rain but it did not slow him down, nothing would right now. As the thoughts dispersed images of Rika appeared in his head. The first smile he ever saw, those dark mysterious eyes, the way they had so much in common and how alike they actually were. How she made a stand and stood out from a crowd and no matter, she what was not afraid of the consequences, it was admirable and he had let it all go to waste. It was his entire fault for ruining everything and there was probably nothing he could do to put it right.

* * *

As Rika opened her front door she looked downward at her feet. A small piece of white paper was wedged underneath the carpet. Intrigued she turned around to lock the door and then knelt down to pick it up. Her eyes traced the words that scarred the page;

_**Rika I will be home late tonight darling, something has come up at work. There are leftovers in the fridge for dinner if you want anything. Sorry. Love mom x**_

She smiled, it was typical of her mother to always put work before her only daughter but she did not detest the solitude, she needed it right now. It would give her a good amount of time to deal with the ongoing battle within her mind, about how she truly felt towards Kyo. Kakeru had caught her at a weak moment and she regretted that and he seemed to understand. That was a positive point to the equation but the rest still needed to be corrected. She did not know if she had the heart left to allow him back into her sordid life, to allow him to rule her heart as effortlessly as she had foolishly let him beforehand. She trudged into the living quarters, set down the paper on the coffee table and sprawled out on the couch. This was 'her' time, and no-one could take this away from her. Not even Kyo. Something did disturb her tranquil state however; it was a phone call on the house phone. She rose up from her lying state and trudged over to the phone, who could have been calling her? As she picked up the receiver she started;

"Hello?"

"Hey sweetheart!" came a jovial voice. Rika blinked curiously, it sounded like Kayuri but how did she get her number?

"Kay, how did you get my number?"

"I asked Bob because I knew how upset you was and I just needed to find out if you was feeling okay" she beamed down the phone almost making Rika wince. At least someone cared enough to enquire how she felt even if it was at 8:30pm, such an odd hour. Rika tucked a piece of her hair behind her ear;

"Thank you Kay, I am fine" She heard her giggle on the other end of the phone;

"I got some gossip for you, it's been hot news all around college" Rika did not like where this was heading.

"Go on-"

"Well-" Kayuri started. "-I have heard that Kyo and Tohru are going to get more 'serious' in the relationship, if you get my drift, it's all around college-" Rika mentally kicked herself, what was this? Time to gloat? She bit her lip to quell the anger that seeped into her pores and merely replied;

"How lovely for them, seriously, I have no time for this-"

"But wait there's more!" Kayuri continued making Rika's rage increase. Why was she getting worked up over this? After all it was only natural. She thought it would be okay to allow her to continue.

"Go on then-"

"Well, apparently it's going to happen tonight! Can you believe it! It's so soon and it's obvious he has no consideration for you at all!" That was it; she had enough of the gossip that was pouring from the witch's mouth. It was all wrong and it was slowly conjuring tears in her eyes.

"Okay, anyway Kay I will speak to you tomorrow I am busy with homework. Bye-" And before she even had a chance to protest Rika hung up the phone immediately. As seconds drifted by she could feel her heart start to crumble away once more and she did not know the reason why, after all he wasn't in a relationship with her, he was with Tohru so it was to be expected. Even so why did this hurt so badly?

* * *

Yuki finally managed to calm Tohru down and they eventually settled onto the sofa. It had taken about ten minutes to calm her to extent where she could talk. Her eyes had become all red and puffed up due to her tears and her face failed to show her radiant personality that usually shone through. It killed Yuki inside but he could not help in the way he would have liked.

"Yuki, tell me… was I such a bad girlfriend?"

"No, don't say things like that Ms. Honda! It was not your fault for any of this. I am just sorry you got caught up in it" He gently stroked her shoulder which was still tense from the shock of hearing about Kyo's antics.

"But-" she mumbled, her body still trembling "- Something must have been wrong for Kyo to do it"

"I don't think it had anything to do with you Ms. Honda. For Kyo, love is a hard emotion to comprehend. I think he perhaps realised it wasn't right for him and did not know how to tell you" Tohru held her head in her hands, not being able to prevent the tears that trickled down her face. She was now the shadow of her former self and this would obviously affect her for some time.

"So… I g-guess this m-means Kyo a-and I are not together a-anymore" she managed to utter, stuttering on her words. Yuki weakly nodded, he did not want this. If anything he wanted her to be happy and jovial as he was so accustomed to. Again he embraced her tightly; it was the only comfort he could provide at this moment in time.

"I guess so Ms. Honda but please don't get upset. I will always be here for you and you will pull through. You're a strong girl" Tohru could not help but utter a weak chuckle at his comment. She had been through a lot in her life already and she knew how to be strong, how to put on a front that it didn't hurt when it killed her inside. She was good at pretend. She nodded against Yuki's arm.

"I guess you're right-"

"I just hate seeing you like this-" he mumbled, his eyes portraying a deep sadness. He hated seeing her so full of despair when she used to be so lively and kind and jovial. This was not the Tohru he knew. This was a broken girl who needed to repair herself again and he was determined to help her, no matter what the outcome.

* * *

Rika lay curled up on her bed in solitude, thinking about Kayuri's words. All she wanted was to be with Kyo but she knew it would never happen; she knew that she would never be happy without him.

As she stared at the clock on the wall of her bedroom it read the time of 9.00pm, by now he would be with Tohru and the thought crucified her. Why couldn't it be her? Tohru was not even pretty or anything yet he had chosen her. Rika curled up tighter on her bed, thinking about it all, about all the memories, about when she first met him, Kyo and his family. A sigh escaped her lips, all she wanted was him but she knew it was too late to alter that now. Her dark eyes closed as a single tear dribbled down her face. Her heart was breaking; she could not deal with it much longer. Kyo had no idea that she adored him and she wanted him. He was so oblivious like that. She had no idea that he had affected her state of mind to this degree, it was unnatural.

Closing her eyes tightly she allowed newly formed droplets to spill onto her pillow as she hugged her blanket tighter to her chest. This was the best comfort she received right now. It was torturing her completely as thought of Kyo and Tohru being together, doing forbidden acts made her almost want to scream out in pain, she could not take it anymore. She needed some sort of release.

Sitting up finally she walked over to her jewellery box, this scene was all too familiar, and she knew it well. Every night she would return here after a day full of torture at college and go to this same compartment of the box to find her trusted companion. Her companion that would always allow her to release the pain and agony she felt. As she opened it up her eyes fixed upon its shiny yet deadly form. Her trusted blade, the blade she used so many times to carve herself to sleep, to give her the comfort she needed. She had foolishly thought she would never need to return to its devilish form but her heart had deceived her and allowed her to feel pain and suffering just as before. As her fingers danced across the sharp edge and she pulled it out of the box she contemplated for a moment. Would this actually help things? Closing her eyes she pressed its sharp edge to her wrist, this would be over soon, it would be the release she had always longed for;

"I am sorry mom; I promised I would never do this again but… I have to. I am so sorry-" With tears streaming down her pale cheeks she pressed the blade harder against her skin.

* * *

A loud knock disturbed her melancholy state and she immediately opened her eyes, pausing in her actions. She had not cut the skin just yet, luckily. She hastily put it back in the box and listened out again for another knock, she wondered who would be calling around at this hour? As she wiped her face from the black smudges she heard it again. It was apparent whoever was knocking was not going away anytime soon. She thought it beneficial to answer the door even though her eyes were completely blackened from her crying act. As she rushed down the stairs, placed the key in the lock, twisted and opened the door her heart sank. Did her eyes deceive her? Her heart thundered deep within a painful rhythm as the image of the one who caused her all this pain and torture was right before her. It was that orange haired boy who had rendered her heart useless. Why was he here? He was meant to be with Tohru. His eyes refused to look at her; they focused downwards at his feet. Rika was the first to speak;

"Why are you here?"

"I… need to talk to you" he muttered weakly, his voice slightly different from normal. It was obvious he too was upset. Even though the sensible side of her longed to say no, the weaker side of her wanted to let him in, wanted him to talk to her. She opened the door wider and mumbled;

"Okay, but not for long" He trudged into the house and into the living room as she closed the door and re-locked it. As the realisation hit her like a rock, she wondered why he was here. Was there an ulterior motive? At this moment all she longed for was to know reasons, why he kissed her? Why he kept giving her mixed messages and why did he hurt Tohru? She also wondered if Tohru knew about it and about him visiting her at this hour. It did not look favourable and she swallowed hard. It was time to talk and he needed to do some explaining.

* * *

_**(I wonder what happens next. Views on what you think would happen are appreciated. Please review and thank you all)**_


	19. Always And Never

_**(Disclaimer I do not own Fruits Basket, you knew that already right?)**_

_**Bonjour my fellow fans and here is another chapter for you. I am updating quite quickly as I have been ill and am bored so writing keeps me amused. I hope everyone enjoys the next instalment and keep reviewing people. Au Revoir~**_

Chapter Eighteen: Always and Never

**Rika's POV**

_~Now, would some-one please enlighten me on why he is here? What is he playing at? It is so unfair on my heart, I already feel like screaming and tearing out my hair but now, oh now it's gotten considerably worse and I don't know if I can take it any longer. I have to sit down; I just know my legs will fail me if I don't. That's better, now don't look into those eyes, ignore those eyes Rika because if you don't you know what will happen. I must be strong; I have to make a stand. No matter what he tries to tell me I have to put on a front, to pretend I don't care because that is the only way out of this mess. After all, I can never have him in the way I want, he belongs to Tohru and I thought I had accepted that. Perhaps I haven't. Have I been lying to myself all this time? Trying to hide my feelings to prevent myself being hurt? That is one explanation but it still does not justify why I considered self harming again. I swore to my mother that no-one would ever induce me to feel that pain again but I was wrong. That pain… it was unbearable. Sometimes causing myself pain is the only way I can ease it, if you get my drift here. I guess I am not making much sense. I just hope that this will all be over soon, I hope that I can at least try to hold onto the shreds of my dignity that remains~_

* * *

As she sat on her couch she refused to look up at the orange haired boy who had positioned himself against the wall. He had obviously noticed that she was adamant about him sitting beside her. There was one question that she needed answering straight away;

"How did you know which house I live in?" He paused before answering, his voice not the usual husky tone she was accustomed to.

"I knocked on every door on the road, I knew you lived on this road so it was just trial and error-" Rika combed her fingers through her hair, why had he even been trying to find her in the first place? She thought that she had made things quite clear back at the college when she took off after he kissed her. She thought he would leave her alone for good, but she was wrong.

"Why are you even here Kyo?" she asked, coldness heard within her voice. He shuffled on the spot;

"I needed to talk to you about things, things that have constantly been playing on my mind" Rika mentally kicked herself; this was not the best of times for a talk. She was a few seconds away from carving into her skin and allowing her blood be the release for her pain but no, he wouldn't even allow her to do that. She refused to make eye contact;

"Go on then, say what you want to say" He swallowed hard, his eyes looking at the ground. It was odd talking to her when she would not even look at him.

"What did you do when you left college after the... kiss?"

"I went out with Kakeru-" she answered honestly, not caring about his opinion at this precise moment in time. If he was disgusted with her behaviour then he knew where the door was. Kyo nodded;

"Go anywhere nice?"

"Yes, he took me out to watch a movie and then I came back home" Rika sighed, what was the point in this conversation? Kyo's eyes scanned the living quarters as he tried to contemplate on his next move. He knew this atmosphere was not good in the slightest and it needed to be corrected.

"I am glad you had fun" he mumbled;

"Yes, I did. Kakeru is lovely and he knows how to make a girl feel special-" Rika said coldly, still refusing to make eye contact. Her fingers dug into the corners of the couch, whether it be from nerves or anger it was unknown to him but he knew she did not like conversing about this. He nodded;

"I am glad you have found some-one who treats you well Rika-" That was it, she could not take anymore.

She stood up, allowing the emotions of anger, sadness and guilt rise to the surface all at once. Her eyes came into direct contact with his as she cursed;

"But I don't want Kakeru!" Kyo's arm were folded as his eyes diverted their gaze away from Rika's reddening face. He mumbled;

"If you don't want him then who do you want?" She clenched her hands into fists at her sides, this was becoming too much to deal with. She closed her eyes tightly, refusing to allow herself to cry anymore. It hurt too much. After a moment's pause she managed to look back at Kyo and answered;

"It doesn't matter-"

"Why is that?" he pursued, his eyes now looking at Rika. She felt her lip begin to quiver slightly. She was so close to breaking point again and this would be the end of her she knew it. Tightening her fists she cursed;

"Because the one I want I can't have!" A silence commenced as they both looked at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Why was this happening now? Was the reason he came here just to gloat? She sat down, she needed to calm down. She was so worked up right now. As she combed her fingers through her hair she did not detect him move from the wall and sit beside her. Her body tensed immediately, she did not want him near her, not now. It was too much. He looked directly into her eyes which were wide at his approach;

"Why can't you have the person you want?" She froze; those eyes were captivating her again. She swore that she would never look into them again but she had and now she believed it would all be doomed. She swallowed hard;

"Because-" she started, feeling herself get more and more nervous "-The person I want… is you" She looked down immediately after confessing to him, she wished the ground would open up right now and take her away from this scene. She placed her hands over her face once again. She had messed everything up again. Kyo did not say anything either, he just remained silent, watching her. As her body trembled she screamed out, pain heard in her voice;

"I don't want to be in love anymore!"

"Rika-" he mumbled as she allowed his arms to wrap around her trembling body. This time she did not flail around to get him off her, she just accepted his embrace and began to cry once more. This time the comfort she received was the comfort she longed for all this time. He was here; he was with her, holding her, just like in her dreams.

"So that was what you tried to tell me back on the stairs before Tohru interrupted-" he muttered as he gently rubbed her back as she continued to cry into his t-shirt. She weakly nodded against his shoulder and he held her tighter. A small smile spread across his countenance as one single tear dribbled down his cheek. Why was he crying? He had no idea but one thing was for certain, he did not want to ruin this moment, not now.

* * *

Back at the Sohma's Tohru had finally calmed down. Yuki had made her some tea and it seemed to change the mood somewhat. At least now she was relaxed and not going into hysterical crying fits every five seconds which pleased him. He smiled at her as he watched her drink the tea.

"You feeling better?" he enquired. She nodded;

"Yes, thank you Yuki"

"No problem Ms. Honda. I am just glad I could help" he answered, still smiling. At least her usual self was returning quicker than he assumed it would. He believed it would be a long time before she would return to her usual self. As she took another sip of tea she mumbled;

"I guess I have to move on now"

"Indeed you do Ms. Honda, but I know you can. You're a strong girl and you're worth more than what he did to you" She nodded weakly, she did not want to converse about him. The thought of him kissing another girl made her nauseous. As she placed the cup down on the table she smiled at Yuki, the first smile had managed since he had told her the news of Kyo's antics. It was odd to see such a simple smile so soon.

"But it won't be easy-" she mumbled,

"Why do you say that?" he asked, confusion scarred across his features.

"Think about it-" she answered, looking into his dark eyes, "-He lives here with you so I won't be able to come over" Yuki looked downwards, that was true. If she came over and Kyo was here it would make those horrible memories return and then she would never get over it. It would slowly rip her to pieces. It was a saddening thought that he would not get to see her as much as he would have liked.

"Does that mean I won't get to see you as much?" he asked, obviously not happy with this predicament. She smiled;

"Don't be silly, you can come over to my Granddad's whenever you like. I don't mind, it would be lovely to see you" Yuki could not help but smile, at least he did not have to suffer. He gently rested his hand on the top of her hand. Her eyes looked down for a moment then back to Yuki. His smile was so endearing and kind and it made her happy that there were in fact genuine guys out there, who cared about her. He replied;

"I would like that" She giggled at his response. At least Yuki had not betrayed her and he would always be there for her, no matter what. He was as solid as a rock and that was what she needed in her life, she needed some-one reliable, some-one like Yuki.

* * *

They continued holding each other as time lingered on. It was getting dark outside but it did not register to them. Rika did not know what feelings resided within but she knew they weren't bitter this time; it was as if she knew Kyo had made a choice; that he chose her. Perhaps she was wrong. She mumbled;

"So… you never said what you wanted to talk about"

"Oh-" he started, pulling away from her and hiding the fact he had shed a tear or two. "-it was about Tohru and me… she found out about us kissing" Rika felt a wave of panic rush through her veins, if that was the case Tohru would hate her intensely. She did not want that, Tohru was a decent girl, a kind girl who did not need this torture in her life.

"How did she find out?" she asked, still shocked. Kyo answered;

"Yuki told her because I was too chicken to. He did not mention you though so Tohru doesn't know it was you-" Inside she did not know whether to be grateful to Yuki or to detest him. It meant that if Tohru saw both her and Kyo together it wouldn't take long to put two and two together and then realise it was her he had kissed. Then World War three would commence and Rika did not need the hassle. As hard as this was to come to terms with Rika mumbled;

"That means we can't be together-"

"Why?" he asked, his amber eyes sparkling in the dimming light. She forced a smile.

"Because Tohru doesn't know it was me. If she sees us together she will discover it eventually and then it will make our lives difficult. I don't want that Kyo-" As hard as that was to say it needed to be said. It needed to be put out there. She could see the sadness in his eyes, the first time she had ever saw that emotion scar his face. It hurt but she knew it had to be done. He gently rested his head against her shoulder;

"Tohru isn't one to hold a grudge, she is a genuine girl. Don't say things like that Rika, it sounds like you actually don't wanna be with me-"

"That is because I don't-" she mumbled, feeling her voice almost fail her. He gently took hold of her wrists as he kept his head resting on her shoulder.

"Rika, why? You just told me that the one you wanted could not be with you when I can-" She shook her head and looked up at the ceiling. Biting into her lip she tried to hold back the tears. This hurt so much, Kyo was here and wanting to be hers but she knew that she couldn't, even if she wanted to.

"But we can't Kyo… and just because I said I love you doesn't mean that I could actually be with you. I said I don't want to be in love anymore because it hurts. It hurts so much, do you have any idea how much pain I have been going through? When you actually confessed to Tohru I heard it all and I felt like I had been shot right through my heart. It was as if you had no feelings for me at all and then some-one from college phones me up and enlightens me on the fact you and Tohru are going to get serious in the relationship and-"

"Wait a minute-" Kyo interrupted, raising his head from her shoulder to look at her. "-who said that?"

"Kayuri" she answered honestly. Kyo shook his head; it seems that even he was not aware of the foul gossip that childish girls had spread around college.

"That is not true at all; we never even discussed anything like that. She was lying-" he answered. Rika looked down, feeling more like a fool as this conversation progressed, why were people constantly deceiving her?

* * *

He gently stroked her wrists which depicted the scars of torture that she had shown him on her very first day. That was a memory that he held dear to him, when she actually had the courage to talk to him about them and her torture, it proved that she could trust him, confide in him and that was when he knew she was a lot more special than he first envisioned. Rika remained silent for now, she had said far too much. Deep within she wanted to be with him but the consequences of doing so were far greater and she knew it was the only way. Her dark eyes scanned his face which kept focus on her arms. She felt the hairs on her arms start to stand on edge; if this moment had occurred before the confession then it would have been more than perfect.

"I am always being deceived-" she muttered, feeling a knot start to congeal within her stomach.

"I have never deceived you Rika, you knew from the beginning how I felt about Tohru but then-" he paused as his eyes looked into her own. "-then you showed me how important it was to be myself and I could be myself around you. We are so alike and it worked so well and that was when I started falling for you. I wanted to tell you but you kept telling me to confess even when I did not want to. I confessed because I believed you did not like me in that way-" She closed her eyes, it was her doing? All of this? No, it was not true, it couldn't be. She tightened her hands into fists which trembled slightly. She closed her eyes; she wanted this pain to go away. Then she felt something gently remove a strand of hair away from her face which made her eyes open slightly. It was Kyo. He placed a hand to one of her cheeks and followed through into her dark mass of hair. It was now that she was completely transfixed on him. It was selfish of her but she knew if it was the last moment she would share with him she required one last thing. As she unclenched her fists she placed her own hand over his and squeezed;

"Kyo, there is one thing I want to ask you to do for me before you leave-" His eyes were completely consumed into her own as in a mere second they closed;

"What is it Rika?" Her heart weakly started up, trying to beat faster and faster even if it hurt. It needed to be done; she needed to know what it felt like. She wanted to know if her dreams were better than reality. One more squeeze of his hand and then she mumbled;

"Could you… kiss me again?" her eyes remained closed as she refused to look at his expression, whether it be happiness or guilt or even sadness she did not want to see any of it. All she wanted was to know if this kiss would be different to the one at college.

Kyo moved his soft hands to tenderly caress her face which was like delicate porcelain as he slowly moved his lips to hers, gently fleeting across them. He felt the warmth and the distinct addiction that would occur if he were to kiss them.

"I don't deserve this-" He whispered as his lips continued to tease against hers, not quite touching but the heat clearly felt. Her own lips were parted as she longed to kiss him, she longed for him in every way possible as they both sat on the couch

"You do-" Rika mumbled back, as her hands explored his spine through his t-shirt, feeling how solid it was under her fingertips. Their lips were almost touching in the heat of the moment, teasing and becoming ever more addicting. Gently she allowed her soft and gentle tongue to flicker across his lips, attempting to entice him. She was aware of that he was struggling as his lips neared her own and she could almost taste his breathe on her face. Every sound was hushed by her tantalising tongue which now entered his mouth to explore and excite his senses. He allowed his own to greet hers as they entwined together in passion. Whilst lost in the addicting kiss Kyo allowed his solid body to come closer to hers so they were in perfect contact on the couch, making her heart thunder inside her with excitement.

She had no idea how romantic he could be but this seemed like an amazing dream, too good to be real but the thing was it was indeed real. Her dream had depicted the feelings so well and this was perfect even though it was the last thing they would share. It somewhat saddened her but she knew it had to be done. As the kiss finally ceased she opened her eyes. They began to sparkle with tears as the thought of not being like this with him again hurt so much but she had already resigned herself to that fact. As they held each other for a few moments she felt herself mumble;

"Thank you Kyo, thank you for making my dreams real… even if it is not forever. It is good enough for me-"

* * *

_**(Awwww, the end is nearing my friends so don't be too saddened. Review and thanks to everyone who enjoys this. Much loves)**_


	20. Listen To The Rain

_**(Disclaimer I do not own Fruits Basket, you knew that already right?)**_

_**~We are coming to the end of the story people and I hope it has not disappointed you. There 'might' be a sequel if people want one. Anyway I should stop rambling and present you with the next chapter. Enjoy~**_

Chapter Nineteen: Listen To the Rain

Kyo remembered leaving Rika's house and feeling sad for the first time in a long while, it was as if he would never see her again and he did not know why he felt that way. As he sat alone in college the next day she was absent. He refused to converse with anyone and did his work in silence. He worked on the visuals on his own and occasionally he would look to the spot where she used to sit, where she helped him. She was not there, she was gone. He sighed and continued the work, trying his utmost to keep focused on the job at hand. He had lost Tohru and now he had believed he lost Rika too. This scene continued for a few more weeks, everyday Rika was nowhere to be seen. The tutor had enquired about her disappearance but no-one could shed any light on the issue. It was written down that she had an illness but Kyo knew it was far more serious than that, perhaps she was never coming back. As he sat down, doing the finishing touches to the visuals of the show he did not detect Haru standing at the door, overlooking his work. He could tell Kyo was suffering, he had not spoken a lot since her disappearance and there was an obvious connection between the two.

"Hey Kyo-" Haru muttered, watching as he leapt up suddenly from his daydreaming state.

"What are you playing at Haru?" he mumbled, his amber eyes looking up at the boy. He walked over and settled into the chair beside Kyo. Resting his arm on the table he mused;

"Do you know what's happened to Rika?"

"I have no idea-" he replied, his voice full of remorse. There was obviously something that was worrying him. Haru was a lot of things but he was far from stupid. He shook his head;

"I don't buy it; did you see her before she took off?" Kyo weakly nodded, now starting to regret ever going to see her, what if she had left the country completely or had moved to another college? He would never see her again.

"I did see her-"

"What happened?" Haru enquired, his dark eyes concentrating on Kyo's countenance. He could clearly see the sorrow that beheld in his eyes. It was apparent that his heart was slowly disintegrating right before everyone's eyes. He swallowed hard and looked away. He did not want to explain the full details to Haru about what had occurred; he had felt guilty enough about the whole situation.

"She said that she loved me but did not want to be with me and then she was rambling on about how much it hurt her back when I confessed to Tohru. Rika was so persistent that I confess to Tohru so I did. I did not want to say anything to Tohru because… at that time I was falling for her" Haru nodded and placed a supportive hand on his shoulder. It was odd that he was being considerate in times of stress, Haru and Kyo never usually got on.

"It's okay, it was obvious that you both liked each other but you both were oblivious to it. Now, I guess it is too late to right the wrongs and you just have to accept it" He received a weak nod, it was true. There was nothing that could be done about this now. It was the past and now all Kyo could do was try to look forward to the future, even if it did look bleak.

* * *

Her dark lifeless eyes traced the outlines of the rain droplets that smeared the window pane as every so often she would jolt up from the movement of the taxi. Such a pitiful day and it just had to rain to aid to matters. It was the only way to save herself from anymore pain and torture, to run away, like the coward she always was. She felt a reassuring hand on her arm, turning her head she saw her mother's kind smile, a smile that not only showed kindness but also apprehension. She was concerned about her daughter's mentality. Rika gave her a weak smile as she turned her head back to the window. As they continued their journey to the train station Rika held her backpack tightly to her chest, there was one thing left, one thing she needed to do before she was gone forever.

"Mom-" she mumbled; the first word she had said throughout the whole journey.

"What is it dear?" her mother asked, completely attentive to her daughter. Rika sighed as she clutched her bag tighter.

"We need to make a pit-stop before we go to the station, I have one last thing to do-" her mother nodded and smiled once more.

"No problem sweetheart, if it will help" She nodded and forced a smile. This was the only thing that explained everything, every feeling she had ever felt, every throb of pain her heart suffered and every laugh she received from her amiable beings at college. This meant everything to her and she knew that HE needed to have this, it was a way of saying goodbye, to put the past behind her, to finally realise that not every story has a happy ending. She continued to watch the rain splash against the window pane. It soothed her somewhat, every solemn droplet felt as if the heavens were sympathising with her, that they were crying for her this time as she had no more tears left. Her heart was a broken mess and there was no way she could cry again. She was drained of energy and willpower. Rika pulled a few strands of dark hair away from her pale face which was now showing a malignant undertone, she was sick. It was apparent and there was nothing anyone could do to make her better. It was her own doing but now this act of cowardice was the only solace she received.

* * *

The journey home from college was dismal, the rain hammered down and the clouds above seemed to mock at the misfortunes of his life. It seemed even Mother Nature was against him. Kyo walked on his own, hands in his pockets, alone for the first time in a long time. Solitude had never felt so frightening in all his life but now it was terrifying. He longed to cry, to lash out, and to show that he wasn't okay but that would reveal his true feelings, his true emotions and that he could not do. He took the bus home in silence and solitude, watching the rain hammer against the windows as he remained safe inside. His amber eyes portraying a deep sadness, he knew that he would never see her again. That kiss was his last, the last time he would ever see those dark alluring eyes, the last time he would ever hold her fragile body, the last time he would hear her voice or see her smile. It was all over and he felt like screaming. The memories they shared meant so much to him and they kept replaying within his cursed mind. The images of her, smiling, happy and content. The past, not the present. He sighed as he rested his head against the window, it seemed karma had come back to haunt him eventually and it had got him good this time.

_~Our last embrace as those perfect tears fell down your perfect face. Your lips said words that I just can't erase. Was this a waste? ~_

* * *

As Kyo finally got home after a solemn bus ride he heard Shigure's annoying voice;

"Kyokyo is that you?"

"Yeah-" he mumbled, trudging into the living quarters. As he settled onto the sofa his eyes glanced up to see Shigure standing at the door holding a brown package. He waved it to get his attention;

"This is addressed for you I believe, there is something inside it too" He handed it to the orange haired boy who snatched it away in haste. This was not the best time for Shigure to be joyful or happy around him. It would just end up in arguments. Shigure knew this and smiled;

"I'll leave you to it-" he hastily retreated back to his office to continue on his novel, which was 'apparently' going to be a big success. Kyo looked down at the package, it was addressed to him, and there was something solid inside. He bit into his lip; he wondered who could have sent him a package of this size? As curiosity got the better of him he opened it furiously. Inside revealed a book and a letter. He decided to read the letter first. His eyes scanned the page as he read the words out loud;

_Dear Kyo,_

_Seems odd that I am writing a letter to you aye? Just like in the movies but I am sorry to say that this is no love letter. This is a letter saying that I am leaving. I am going to my Auntie's in England and am staying there for the foreseeable future. My health and mental state has been worrying my mother and she insisted I stay there to recover. I know it is such short notice and I know you will be upset by this but please don't be sad Kyo. Even though I won't see you again I won't forget the memories we have, the happier times, the times where we used to talk about the silly things and the special times. Every second I have spent with you has been amazing and I will treasure them all (even if my heart has been dying for the majority of it). That was not your fault, it was my doing. I should have confessed my feelings sooner and I regret that. I am sorry for all the pain and hurt that you have received and are receiving now because of me._

_I have sent you a little gift to remember me by. It is my diary; it will tell you everything that you need to know about my feelings and thoughts. I thought it would be a good gift for you but please promise me this, promise me you will not cry, you will not be sad or depressed and you will try to move onwards with your life. I will have to do the same, even if it hurts, just do it a little bit each day. Things will get better I assure you. I hope my gift helps you in some way, in the way that I cannot at the moment. Right now I am on my way to the station to get a train to the airport and it is killing me to write this to you but I needed to, I could not leave without saying goodbye. Please tell Yuki, Haru, Momiji, Shigure and the others that I have left to go to a better place but they will always mean something to me. They will always be in my heart. There is one thing I can assure you however Kyo, that is that I will never forget you. You will see why. Anyway, I end this letter with a few lines from my favourite song~_

'_Please, don't let go. Can't we stay awhile? It's just too hard to say goodbye. Please just listen to the rain. You may feel that you're alone but I am still here with you. You can do what you dream. Just remember to listen to the rain'_

_Goodbye, Kyo..._

_Love Rika_

_XXXXXXXXX_

* * *

The only thing he remembered after reading the letter was feeling the excruciating pain of heartbreak within his chest, as if it were being savagely ripped in two. Tears dribbled down his cheeks as he could not hold them in anymore, his hands trembled as tears splashed onto the letter smudging some of the writing. This was the only thing he had left of her, of Rika, of the girl that had left his life for good and now life looked bleak. He pulled the paper closer to his face as he cried out loudly. He did not care if Shigure heard him, all that mattered was this. She was gone and she was gone forever.

* * *

Somewhere far away Rika looked up at the sky, the rain hammering down onto her cursed head. She forced a smile and walked towards her destination. This was it now, there was no looking back. She had said goodbye to her past now she had to accept the future, no matter how cruel it would be.

~_Tonight I'm chasing dreams, and leave you chasing me. If you're not here then I don't want to be in love anymore. Tonight I'm leaving home and it hurts but I know I'm going to make it that's why I say 'I don't want to be in love anymore'_~

* * *

_**(Only one more chapter to go! :'( Nooooo I have really enjoyed writing this story and thanks to everyone who has reviewed and loved this as much as I have. I really am thankful to you all~)**_


	21. Epilogue

_**(Disclaimer I do not own Fruits Basket, you knew that already right?)**_

_**~And now the end is here and now I face the final curtain, yeah enough singing for now. ALAS people it is the end :'( Oh how it upsets me to finish it so quickly but who knows what will happen in the future. The last chapter awaits the epilogue. Enjoy and au Revoir~**_

Epilogue

It sat there, untouched, the diary of his former love. He refused to open it right now. It hurt so much, every time his eyes glanced over its demonic form he would feel an excruciating and overwhelming pain within, which felt as if it were conjuring a heart attack. He needed to forget about it for a while and so it sat there for weeks and weeks. She had been gone for over a month and it still felt like yesterday that he had held her, that he had kissed her for that last time. The quiz show came and went and was surprisingly a big success even if he was not on the job at hand. His mind was on other matters. After it was over and the holidays commenced, he remained at home, in solitude. Yuki was never at home, he was always out visiting Tohru at her Granddad's place and Shigure knew better than to interfere in his life. However, Kyo decided one lonely Sunday morning that too much time had passed and it was time to let it all go, to read her diary entrants. To discover the truth behind it all. As he managed to summon the courage to sit down and hold it in his hands he took a deep breath. The pain was starting to seep into every vein once again; his fingers trembled as he opened the first page.

To his amazement there seemed to be no writing, just drawings and half of song lyrics that represented times they had spent together. He had no idea she was an artist. Her drawings were divine, depicting clearly how they were together, blissful and happy. He smiled as he turned the page. This page revealed more pictures, a drawing of Yuki on his own, a drawing of Shigure holding his pen and a drawing of Tohru, happy and smiling as she always did and finally a drawing of Kyo. She had only drawn the side view of him unlike the others as a representation of how different he was from the others, even in her simple drawings it portrayed how alone he actually was. Underneath his picture he read some words,

~_We're supposed to try and be real. I feel alone and we're not together. That is real~_

Those simple words carved a hole inside his heart, the words said it all. She wanted him, she wanted nothing but to be his but in reality they were not. It was true, all of it and Kyo started to wonder if he could look at anymore drawings, at the memories. It hurt so much but something edged him to continue, something deep within. He turned the page to drawings of the times they shared, the bus journey, at the lake and on the roof all here in glorious pencil lines and shading. He allowed his fingertips to trace the outlines of the drawing at the lake, the most precious of memories he held. It wasn't the best drawing but it was the one he treasured the most. The words written just beneath…

_~I can't love you anymore than I already do. People die but real love is forever~_

He turned the other pages, drawings that she sketched of people in the class, of Kakeru, of Kayuri and the others. This was of happier memories. Stuck in the corners with some black tape were small photographs of herself, of the Rika he adored. Kyo gazed at one picture, she looked about ten years old, those dark eyes still the same, wounded with mystery and her hair was still perfectly straight. Even at such a young age she was an angel. He could not help but smile. As he flipped through the pages he found himself at the very last one. It was not a diary entrant as such, more like words to use for effect. It obviously portrayed her last thoughts and feelings, how she really felt deep within. He swallowed hard, would he be able to read them? Would his heart be able to hold up? It was too late now, his eyes had already ventured to the words that scarred the page.

~_How many times have you told me that you love her? ~_

_~Probably as many times as I have wanted to tell you the truth~_

_~How many times have I done this to myself? ~_

_~To be left unwanted on the shelf~_

_~How long will it take before I see? ~_

_~That you just look right through me~_

_~When will this hole in my heart be sealed? ~_

_~No-one knows when that will be revealed~_

_~Who is now left alone? ~_

_XXXXXXX_

_~Everyone has left me stranded, forgotten, abandoned, left behind~_

_~So, I can't stay here another night~_

_~Is this our farewell? ~_

_~I never thought that this day would come~_

_~We have had no time to say goodbye~_

_~But no matter what, promise me this~_

_~Please don't hate me~_

_~Because I'll die if you do…~_

As he read the last word he closed the diary shut; that was it, the end. The end of the long road to nowhere, the road to ruin. It was all over and he could not help but place it on the table. Gently he rested his head on the precious book that contained the last segments left of her, of Rika, of the dark angel that had fled his life. She was gone, he was a fool and he would never see her again. It was true and he had to try to accept that. As he closed his eyes tightly a single tear dribbled down his cheek and splashed onto the book. He was broken and defeated, she had won this game but this was it now, this was enough…

* * *

_**FIN**_

_(__**The end! Thanks for everyone who read this and a big thank you to:**_

_**Kayleighbear**_

_**Jamie**_

_**Anonymous reviewers (all of you)**_

_**CornerOfTheMoon**_

_**AngelOfAnime97**_

_**Oh how I hate goodbyes :'( I will write another fic soon but thanks for reading, so long and goodnight)**_


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